


To Expose A Liar

by Negativitee



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oma Kokichi Needs a Hug, Oma Kokichi-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ouma not Oma, POV Oma Kokichi, SaiOuMota - Freeform, Saioumota is main relationship, Spoilers, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-09-22 10:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 54,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17057936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Negativitee/pseuds/Negativitee
Summary: Kokichi gasps, inhaling sharply as he shot up. The first thing he notices is the presence of an item seated firmly across his face. The second thing he notices is how sore he was, any sudden movement sending sharp needles across his whole body. What's going on? Wasn't he suppose to be dead? His head hurt too much to deal with thoughts. He grasped at the hard plastic surrounding his upper face, pulling it off as quickly as he could.((I'm so bad at summaries. Apologies.))Kokichi awakens, and upon realizing he was stuck in a virtual killing game, he panics. Despite how tired he was of all the  l i e s, he kept up his charade, his mask. Secluding himself away from the others, Kaito and Shuichi seem to begin to see past his mask. With Kaito's hero like mindset and Shuichi's curiosity of the boy's real personality, they plan to break away Ouma's mask. They never planned on falling for the liar.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> This is my first time publishing a fanfic,, so if you like it or have criticism (please be kind with it) tell me! Also please leave Kudos because I would be so ha pp y.  
> Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Kokichi gasps, inhaling sharply as he shot up. The first thing he notices is the presence of an item seated firmly across his face. The second thing he notices is how sore he was, any sudden movement sending sharp needles across his whole body. What's going on? Wasn't he suppose to be dead? His head hurt too much to deal with thoughts. He grasped at the hard plastic surrounding his upper face, pulling it off as quickly as he could.

Kokichi peeled open his eyes, and in contrast to his belief that he'd be blinded  by white, he found himself in a black room. Not wholly black though, the room seemingly lit by a light glow of a monitor. He looked quizzically at the monitors, unsure of what he was seeing. All he saw was a charging battery symbol. He looked around once more, the room was a rectangle with a cylinder intersecting the middle of the room. Seats wound around the cylinder with heaps of wires trailing along the wall. Three seats away Kokichi noticed a figure with a headset sitting idle in the seat.

He blinked, moving to rub his eyes, only to stop immediately as his body screamed at him in protest. A small whine escaped his throat as he leaned his head back, eyes closing. Thoughts and questions raced through his mind, curling up in his chair despite the pain it put him through. The comfort, in the end, was worth it. Where was he? What had happened? He knew he died but how? He had too big of a migraine to deal with his confusion. Instead, he snuggled into his knees and fell into a dreamless sleep. At least, he wished it was dreamless.

His dreams, this time, were plagued with the memory of Gonta's death. He spun around from the scene, in front of him, but anyway he faced, there was the male, impaled in the abdomen by a giant bug. He squeezed his eyes shut, cowering away from the scene.

"Ouma." A shaky voice called, and yet Kokichi didn't open his eyes. "Ouma... Gonta doesn't feel so good. Gonta in pain." The voice called, firm yet gentle hands found itself on Kokichi's shoulders. "Gonta need help. Please, Ouma!" The voice became more desperate, the firm hands shaking the boy's small figure. Yet, Kokichi kept his eyes squeezed shut. The shaking stopped and the grip vanished. Kokichi opened his eyes hesitantly, a decaying Gonta meeting him, face to face. Bugs squirmed through his cheek, which was now a gaped open hole, the flesh that was once there was decayed away. A roach squirmed out of his eye socket, seeing as his eye was missing. Clumps of hair were falling off, some hanging on by a thread. His nose seemed to be slipping off his face, bits of bones were exposed through broken skin. The bridge of his glasses sunk into the decaying skin causing the skin to overlap it slightly. Gonta's lips were cracked and split open, teeth and black gums viewable through the slits. Beetles burrowed themselves through the cracks of broken skin along the other swollen cheek. Small squirming lumps could be seen outside of the skin.

A strangled cry escaped Kokichi as he stumbled away from the face. He fell back, causing him to jolt awake, biting his lip to keep from crying out. He grasped a hand over his heart, breathing rapidly. He blinked, but the image was burned in his mind, appearing against his eyelids. He sighed, glancing at the seat beside him, it was devoid of life but there was a cup of water and a few pills. He pocketed the pills, who knows, someone could be trying to poison him. He moved to get up, the pain had drastically decreased, enabling him to move. He peeled himself off of the chair, glancing over at the monitor fixed on the wall. He blinked in surprise at the strange view. He was looking at Kiibo's hand? In a toilet? Ah, so this is monitored from Kiibo's point of view. He shook his head and spun around, walking around the room. He spotted a door on the opposite side from where he sat. He walked over, grasping the cold doorknob.

He faltered, this is reality, after all, he figured that out a while ago. The issue was, the others are awake as well. He has to keep up this dumb charade again, all these lies. God, he hated liars. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. Not only this... he killed Gonta and Miu. God, he regretted that, but he needed more time- his plan. He hoped it worked, oh how he hoped it worked. He reached up to the doorknob once more. Once again he hesitated. Why did he have to keep up his lie? Why can't he act like his usual childish self, minus the lies? Because they wouldn't believe him, and if they did, they would hate his real personality as well, right? Besides, he doesn't even know if he can stop with the mask of lies, they just come too naturally now. He preferred to distance himself anyways, it's easier to have people hate you than like you after all. No need for useless pity, or worry. They didn't have a care for the boy, and that's how he preferred it. He doesn't need to trust anyone, they don't trust him after all. Everything will be like usual. With that thought, he reached towards the doorknob and swung the door open.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi receives some answers and human interaction!  
> Yay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THank you so much :) I'm v happy! I honestly didn't think anyone would actually like this, tbh  
> AAaa thank you for the kudos and commenting and aaaAA ily guys  
> okok ill wrap it bc im kinda annoying,, u know?  
> Anyways thank you so much!!

It was your average everyday kitchen. There was a stove on the right side with marble countertops and drawers on either side. On the left side, a matching countertop and a mirrored row of drawers was found, along with a sink and dishwasher. In the middle of the room was a semi-large island with 3 stools along each side.

Three familiar faces occupied the room. Two were sitting at the island, chatting and laughing, the other roamed the room, cleaning countertops and cooking. The meal being prepared was unknown to Kokichi but it smelt amazing. Kokichi felt his mouth water at the thought of actual food compared to the instant meals occupying the pantry in the killing game.

“Oh! Ouma!”

A startled voice dragged Kokichi’s eyes back over towards the two in the seat. Kaede and Rantaro. Kaede smiled kindly and oh god how he hated that fake smile.

He hated it just because as much as he wished it was fake, he knew it wasn’t. She should just hate him like the others, he’s an awful person, so why not treat him like it.

Nonetheless, Kokichi grinned, slinging his arms behind his neck as he casually strolled over.

“Nishishi! I never thought you two would make friends with each other!” He chirped, skipping over and leaning against the counter. His body, still painfully sore, jabbed him in alarm at his sudden and quickened movements. He pushed back a grimace. Why was he so sore everywhere? Did he really die in such a way that affected his whole body? He couldn't remember.

“So, you two have been around the longest. What is this?” Kokichi pondered, looking around the room then back at the two with a curious look.

Kirumi took this moment to place down three bowls and a set of utensils. She slid two to Kaede and Rantaro, receiving thanks in return. The third was given to Kokichi, causing him to look up at her with a grin.

“I knew you loved me, mom!” He chirped, looking at the brown stew-like liquid and the rice on the side. He shoved a spoonful into his mouth, a noise of delight rising in his throat which was swallowed back with the food.

“We wouldn’t want you to die, it’s unnecessary and unwanted. I’m just doing my job.” She stated, placing down cups of water for the two in front of him. She grabbed a can from the fridge, sliding him the small container of Grape Panta. Kokichi launched at this newfound lifeline of his, gulping down the drink.

“Ok, explanations.” Kaede hummed, tapping her chin as she looked up in thought. “How to start… oh! So let’s start from the killing game. Upon waking, I was informed by these two guys, who go by Hajime and Nagito, that we were inserted into a virtual reality simulation. I don’t really know much more about that, just that it wasn't supposed to go the way it did. The way being murder.” She explained, Rantaro took this chance to excuse himself momentarily, leaving his bowl and walking out to who knows where.

“Alright, that makes zero sense, moving on.” Kokichi droned, sloshing his food around with a bored expression.  
“Stop playing with your food.” Kirumi scolded, whacking him on the back of his head with a towel. Kokichi rolled his eyes and ate a few more bites, awaiting more information.

“There’s another lady who shows up every time there’s a murder. Her name’s Mikan, she’s the ultimate nurse. You see after you die in the killing game, it takes about 1-3 hours for you to actually wake up. That’s because they have to convince your brain you aren’t dead. To do that they erase the memory of your death. You’ve noticed this right? You can’t remember how you died.”

Kokichi thought about this. It seemed to add up. He did, in fact, not remember a single thing about his death. He did remember a few things leading up to it, of course. He captured that loud idiot, then the assassin shot him. Then… then… he- Kaito took a shot for him? He couldn’t really remember.

“See, you can't remember huh? It was the same for me, but Rantaro caught me up.” She noted, smiling softly before continuing with the explanation. “They hook you up to a device, kinda like life support, that feeds you and provides water, and helps with other necessities when you're in the virtual reality. They take it out when waking you up from your coma. Check your arm if you want, you have a bandage there from where they took it out.”

Kokichi did as she said, pulling up his white sleeve and checking his left arm. He found nothing there and heaved a sigh, pulling the sleeve back down and checking the right. There it was. He pulled back down his sleeve, humming in confirmation.

“Any other questions?” Kaede asked patiently, looking at her boy curiously as she sipped a spoonful of stew.

“Where are we?” Kokichi asked, biting his thumbnail in thought. He couldn’t really seem to come up with any more questions about the virtual reality situation, yet he knew he'd have some when he laid in bed tonight.

“Oh! Well, we are in this mansion of sorts, I guess? Everyone has a room which shares a bathroom connected to the rooms. We also have plenty of food. We’re allowed outside of the mansion, but not out of the gate. No one has really tried to leave though. We don’t fully know where we’d go, plus we’d rather wait for our friends. Besides, there’s gotta be a reason to stay in. The people helping us have only helped, you know?”

Kokichi nodded to signify he understood, but he didn’t really. Why would he want to stay? Everyone here had friends to stay around for, but he was just an annoyance. He’d rather go back to his real family. She had a point though, the strangers here haven’t seemed to hurt anyone here, so they probably have a reason to keep them inside. At least he thinks. He’s not one for trusting though, so his faith for the helpers he’s never met was nonexistent.

“Right right, that makes sense... Any news from the outside? Contacts with friends and family?” Kokichi questioned, masking his anxiousness with a curious expression.

“Ah… N-no. Sorry, Ouma. You’re worried about your family, right? All of us are.” Kaede muttered, rubbing her arm nervously.

“Nishishi! You're so stupid. I just wanna know if my organization has taken over the world yet. God, I’m not a baby like you are.” He stated while rolling his eyes and looking at his nails, uninterested. Contrary to his outward expression, he was trying not to bite his thumb out of nervous habits.

The truth was far from his statement. He was extremely worried over his group of hooligans. He missed his family, he would do anything to know their current status. He pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind, he’ll save them for later when he’s alone.

“So you don’t care about what’s happened to your family at all?” She exclaimed, looking at him with hints of annoyance painted across her face. She looked honestly offended.

“W-well yeah…” he muttered, voice growing smaller as he stared at his hands. “They-They died a while ago.” He whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. He let a few tears slip out his eyes before whipping them harshly. “Sorry.” He shakily added, holding his hands against his eyes while sniffling.

“No no no! Don’t be! Oh god, Ouma, I’m so sorry- I had no idea.” She spoke, regret lacing her voice and her expression. Her hand was hesitantly outstretched, but she pulled it back to her chest.

“It-It’s ok. I- well… I was lying.” He said, wiping his eyes of the fake tears and grinning beneath his palms. “Nishishi! You’re so gullible!” He said happily. Not a complete lie, in fact, he had no idea how his biological family was. He had run away years ago, after all, any and every connection with them was cut. They could be dead for all he knows!

Kaede looked upset, however. She narrowed her eyes at him, huffing annoyed.

“You’re awful.” She complained, running a hand through her hair as she got up. She got up and placed her plate, just as Rantaro walked back in. “He’s your problem now, give him a tour and show him his room for me, please? Thanks!” She called as she walked out of the room.

His room, huh? He wouldn't mind going there. He looked down at his clothes. How long had he been wearing them? His hair was extremely greasy and he was sure he smelled awful. He would need to see if Kirumi could give him a haircut as well. It had grown slightly, and he wanted it to be the same length it was during the killing game. And he longed to sleep comfortably in a locked room with a comfy bed.

Only Rantaro and Kokichi remained in the room now, Kirumi having long left after feeding the three and cleaning her mess.

“Alright, Amami! Where to?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi gets a room.

The two walked down a long hallway, though right as they were about to enter a room, Kokichi spotted two faces he’d rather not encounter. The two being, of course, Tenko and Miu.

Tenko would end up saying something rude to him, about being a degenerate or something, or perhaps something about how he deserved to die. Kokichi didn't know, nor did he care. He didn’t want to deal with that currently... or ever. He absolutely didn’t want to face Miu, she’d just bad mouth him on the fact that he caused her death. What was he supposed to do though? Let her kill him?

He shook his head, tugging on Rantaro’s arm. “Hey hey! I’d rather just go to my room. I want a shower and to sleep. Please!”

Rantaro looked down at the boy grabbing his sleeve. He took a small peek into the room they were about to enter, and seeming to understand why Kokichi was hesitant, accepted.

“Alright. If you’re sure.” He said with a shrug, before continuing to walk down the hall, Kokichi’s grip vanished as his hand returned to his side. He took a left into a darker hallway, then a right into a hallway that was blue with the paint cracking off exposing the white underneath.

Kokichi wasn’t really paying attention to directions though. Instead, he was processing information. He was in a virtual reality simulation for who knows how long with complete strangers taking care of him. He isn’t allowed to leave the mansion where he is currently staying for an unknown reason. He has no contact with D.I.C.E. and he was around a group of people who either hated him or held a strong dislike for him. Could this get any worse?

“Ah here you are, your room is next to Gonta’s,” Rantaro said, stopping in front of a door with his photo on it. Yes, apparently it can get worse, much worse.

“Nope! That’s not going to work.” He said, shaking his head before spinning around to look at Rantaro. “Please! I don’t wanna be next to bug boy! I bet he doesn’t even know how to shower.” He complained, a pout evident on his face. Rantaro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Sorry, Ouma- I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Please Amami! I’ll take anyone else.” He complained, hugging onto Rantaro’s arm and looking up at him with tears in his eyes.

“Uhg... fine,” Rantaro said, shaking his head. “Go grab the clothes and items in the room and meet me out here in a few minutes, I have to go inform Hajime on the room update.” He stated, walking down the hallway out of Kokichi's sight.

Kokichi complied, of course, smiling to himself, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. Any trace of false tears had seemingly disappeared. He walked into the room looking at it with a blank stare. It looked... exactly like the room layout in the killing game.

Well not exactly. The monitor and Kokichi’s clutter of junk was, of course, gone. Honestly, he kinda missed his junk. Maybe he could see if Rantaro would hang upside down by a rope from the ceiling for him. For good time sake.

The room was formatted the same as the killing games dorm aside from a door that connected to a bathroom. There was even a closet full of clothes which were identical to each other. Who exactly thought this was a good idea?

He shook his head and started towards the closet full of clothes. He took the hangers down, piling them over his arm. Kokichi placed them neatly on the made bed and looked around the room once more.

There didn’t seem to be anything specifically for him. He decided that might as well check the bathroom, maybe they had specified toiletries for him? He didn’t know, but there's no harm in checking.

He walked into the bathroom, somewhat shocked to find it surprisingly clean. But, Gonta is an actual gentleman, so in actuality, it wasn’t too shocking to find the room clean. He blinked before deciding that he should get back on task. He spotted a purple toothbrush beside a green one in a small cup container.

Thinking it was most likely his, Kokichi grabbed and pocketed it, before scanning the rest of the sink and grabbing an unopened tube of toothpaste. He spotted a semi-large bag with the name “Kokichi Ouma” written on the tag hanging on a towel hook beside the countertop of the sink. He snatched it off the wall, stumbling back at the unexpected weight it held.

After steadying himself he took a final look around, relieved when he realized that was about the last of it.

Upon returning to the room, he spotted Rantaro holding his clothes and looking around confused.

“Oh! There you are, come on, you’re new room is by Kaito.” He explained, nodding his head to the door. Kokichi rolled his eyes.

“Not sure if that’s much better.” He whined, following the male out the door. He just hoped he wouldn’t encounter Kaito too much.

”Too bad. I’m not asking for another room change.” Rantaro replied with a sigh, closing the door on his way out. Kokichi looked at the picture frame, it was no longer his, but instead Shuichi’s photo.

He was led into his new room, which was basically identical to the other. Rantaro laid his clothes down neatly on the bed. Kokichi watched him take out Shuichi’s outfits then walked into the bathroom, grabbing the bag of supplies and his toothbrush.

“See you later, Ouma.” He called as he exited, now equipped with all of Shuichi’s belongings.

“Bye, Amami!” He replied, dragging out the ‘bye’ while giving a big wave. The door closed behind Rantaro and Kokichi rushed over, turning the small key that was left in the door for him. He smiled at the silence he was left in.

He walked to the closet to hide the key where he had always hid it during the killing game. Why not hide it? He hadn't trusted anyone in the simulation, so why would he now? He counted the hangers starting from the right side; one... two... three! He slipped the key into the uniforms right pocket.

After doing so, Kokichi strolled over to his bed and opened the bag with his name on it. Plentiful toiletries were found inside. He pulled out the purple towel and dark purple, almost black, bathrobe. God, it was soft. Kokichi assumed they were color coating the items for more organization. It made sense. He smiled slightly at the gifts and set the item aside.

He looked back into the bag, finding an assortment of soaps. His shampoo was rosemary lavender scented, and he couldn’t lie, it smelt heavenly. He always did like women’s scented shampoos and soaps better than men. The male’s smelt too... masculine? If that made any sense.

He pulled out the body wash, the scent being honey and shea butter. Whoever picked these knew how to pick amazing scents. The bag also included a container of conditioner, identical to the shampoo. A razor, shaving cream, a hairbrush, a comb, and lavender scented lotion was also found inside,.

Kokichi took the needed items in one arm and the towel in the other. He walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Roughly 30 minted later, he walked out of the steam filled room; his hair stuck to his skin as a shiver ran down his spine due to his exposure to the cooler air.

He debated between wearing night clothes or his usual attire, but seeing how he would need dinner at some point, he chose his usual attire. He tossed his dirty uniform to the side and grabbed a new one from the left side of his closet to avoid confusion with his hidden key.

He collapsed on his bed, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. He would lay there forever if possible, but sadly he’d die before forever would ever come. He also really wanted a haircut. There was only one person that he really trusted to do it too.

So with a frown and a new found motivation, he peeled himself off of the bed and made his way to his door. Ah, but he locked it. He whined at the extra work, spinning on his heel and walking towards his closet. He grabbed the key from his third uniform and stared at it.

Kokichi also had to find a new hiding place for the key for when he leaves the room. He unlocked the door and looked out but found the hall was empty of people and items. Sadly, this meant there wasn't really anywhere to really hide the key.

Kokichi walked into the hallway, closing and locking the door behind him. While doing so, an idea sprouted in his head. He grabbed the picture frame on the door and wedged it between the frame and the portrait. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly.

With a newfound hiding spot, he started down the hall searching his temporary hairstylist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact! I didn’t know if I wanted this to be a Kokichi and Shuichi fic or a Kaito and Kokichi fic. I love Shuichi and Ouma, it’s adorable, but Kaito and Ouma fit the plot more. So I went with both.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi gets lost and decides to explore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it seems like a lot of filler,, I swear it will get moving soon, I also just don't wanna rush it,, sorry!! Kaito does need to wake up at some point, right?  
> Thank you for reading though!! Hope you enjoyed! <3

Alright. He’ll admit it. He was lost. Kokichi was so utterly lost.

He was just walking down a hall, then he guessed with a few turns, and now he was in a dimmer hallway with cracks covering the wall which looked like it hadn’t been visited in years. And he tried retracing his steps three times already. It always led to a different location.

Was he living in a maze? He knew it was a mistake to turn down a tour, but he’d be lying if he said that shower wasn’t one of the most refreshing showers he’s ever taken.  
  
He ran his hand along the cracked wall as he walked, looking into different rooms that branched off of the hall. Most of the times Ouma’s done this, the rooms he came across were empty or used for storage. As he walked down this hall though, he came across a door leading to a stairwell. He had seen plenty of bathrooms, empty rooms, locked rooms, and rooms stacked with boxes, but he hadn’t encountered a stairwell yet.

No harm in investigating, right?

Kokichi turned the handle, frowning at the realization the stairwell was locked. Not that the obstacle stopped him. No not at all, instead it seemed to motivate him more. The other locked rooms didn’t hold the absolute promise of a new destination. But now? Oh, he was tempted and his curiosity was screaming at him; who is he to deny himself of a little fun?

Kokichi’s hands roamed his suit, patting his suit down to feel if the inner pockets held any bobby pins. He felt the small object in his inner left pocket, grinning triumphantly as he pulled it out. He stuck it in the lock, wiggling it around until he heard a satisfying click.

He pulled the pin out, shoving it back into his pocket. That was some food for thought, how was the bobby pin in his pocket exactly? He’ll think about that later, he had an idea as to how anyways, but the probability of it being correct was unlikely. He turned the doorknob, the small click bringing a smile to his face. As he swung the door open, a loud bang following as the door recoiled back from hitting the wall. A cloud of dust swallowed the room, Kokichi coughing harshly after inhaling a large portion of it.

He took a cautious step into the room, blinking at the small rays of sunlight exposed through windows lining the wall. After closing and relocking the door, he walked over to the handle running a finger along the stairwell’s handle, watching as the dust built up underneath his fingertips. He took an experimental step on the first stair; a groan of protest let out by the action. Other than the noise, the stairs seemed stable.

Kokichi took a glance up, the roof of the stairwell was barely seen, though he didn’t know if it was due to the cloud of dust, or the height of which the stairs led. He began up the spiraling stairs, finding himself growing tired only about fifteen stairs up. Lucky for him, there seemed to be a door connecting to a portion of the stairwell only two steps further. With his new destination set, he heaved himself up, relief flooding him as he reached a door handle.

Kokichi cursed quietly to himself, of course this wasn’t going to be easy. Another door meant another lock. He plucked out the bobby pin once more, fiddling with the lock. For some unknown reason, this lock seemed to be more difficult; but Ouma managed to hear a satisfying click after a few attempts.

Kokichi swung open the door, more cautiously this time. He wasn’t sure if this floor was used, and if so, by who. For all he knew, Angie or Korekiyo or someone could be in the room three doors down. He closed the door behind him, the small click of the door shutting behind him was the only noise he heard. He fiddled to lock the door with the bobby pin, it’s his adventure after all. He wanted to be the explorer, what’s the point of exploring if it’s already been discovered. Boring.

After triple checking, if the door was fully locked, the liar made his way down the hall. It seemed almost identical to the one downstairs, but instead of a carpeted, dusty hallway which looked like it would collapse on itself it had dark brown hardwood floors and the walls seemed to be in better shape. Don’t get him wrong, it was just as dusty as the last.

He poked out his finger and ran it along the dusty wall as he walked, leaving a small trail for him back to his origin. He found himself at a three-way intersection at the end of the hall. Oh boy, decisions, his favorite. Kokichi looked down each hall, weighing his options. He could venture down the hall to the left, which was blanketed in dust and darkness. A solid option. He could also choose to journey down the hall to the right, it seemed to be illuminated slightly with sunlight from windows which were clouded over by dust and blinds. Also a good choice.

The last hall was straight ahead, a small yellow light was seen at the very end. Although Kokichi was about to turn down the option, he considered his real intention of leaving his room. A haircut, which sounded very appealing. He gave into the idea, walking straight ahead towards the yellow light.

Kokichi neared the end of the hallway, or as far as he could get. The end of the hall was covered by rubble which seemed to have fallen from the ceiling. That was strange, almost as if construction had been left unfinished in the hall. He peeked through a hole in the rubble and saw a hallway lit by lamps along the wall. There seemed to be a significant drop in the amount of dust, making the hallway appear as though it was frequently visited. Or at least more so than the others.

The boy patted around on the wall, his only thought being that this was kinda like Jenga. He pushed at a weak, loose spot in the rubble around the bottom right. A small cheer escaped his lips as about four semi-large rocks slid out, the structure of rubble around it still stuck in its place. The hole seemed big enough for him to slide through, though if anyone taller or broader than him had tried they’d most likely find themselves stuck. He slid through the hole with no more than a small cut on his hand.

Upon making it to the other side, Kokichi placed the four rocks against the pile, successfully hiding his passageway from any eyes.

Kokichi started down the new, untraveled hall, looking at the lamps lining the wall. They seemed to have been dusted recently. Good, at least he had found his way back to a hall which had experienced human interaction recently. He took a left down a hall, then a right, then-

“Hmph.”

A noise of impact followed by Kokichi falling back. Before he could come in contact with the hardwood floor, he was stopped by a hand grasping tightly onto his surprisingly sturdy bandana. Sure the action caused discomfort on the back of his neck, but it was probably more pleasant than slamming into the ground.

“Ah! I caught you,” an unfamiliar voice called, dragging Kokichi’s eyes up to the male gripping his bandana.

A mess of white hair, a green jacket, ashen skin, and eyes that could send shivers down even the most robust men’s spine is what greeted him. Kokichi looked curiously at the lanky male before grasping onto the arm which held his bandana and walking himself up with it. He heard a quiet "oh," at his action.

“If you didn’t run into me then I wouldn’t need you to catch me,” Kokichi replied as the male’s hand returned to his side. Kokichi rested his arms by his side, ready for a retort about how it was his fault for running into him.

He was shocked to find that was not the case. Instead, the strange male grabbed his hand, holding it tightly with both of his and shaking it viciously.

“I’m sorry, sir, I’m so unlucky. Feel free to yell and hit me as you see necessary, I’m such trash.” The male apologized? Kokichi had no idea, he was just so strang. He pulled his hand back, looking at the boy with a confused look.

“Wh-what?" He muttered to himself, seemingly at a loss of words for the situation. Kokichi blinked at the scene, before gaining some composure at the situation before him. He tossed his arms behind his head and took a small breath in, a grin appearing on his face.

"Wow! You're one of those insane freaks who gets off on that kinda stuff, riiigght riiigght?" He claimed, an excited look shaping his face, spouting the only thing that came to his mind as a defense to insult this guy into leaving him alone. The male, however, looked at him curiously; the insult did not affect him, or if it had, he didn't show it.

"You're the new guy! Dreadfully sorry for running into you. Please accept my deepest apology! I'm Nagito Komeada, Ultimate Lucky student." He apologized yet again. Kokichi would've thought Nagito was picking fun at him with his excessive amount of apologies. But the male seemed completely serious.

"Nishishi! Lucky student? That's a thing? Wooow that's boring." Kokichi said teasingly, watching the boy's face for any sign of anger. There didn't seem to be any, however, instead, a frown and a nod was Nagito's reply.

"I agree, I tried to decline the invitation from Hope's Peak, but they insisted I joined them," Nagito explained, his eyes sunken dejectedly to the ground. Hope's Peak huh? Kokichi remembered that name. Somewhere... hm... Oh! The school that promises success, he always wanted to go during middle school. Well, during his time at middle school; he had only attended 6th grade, then he had homeschooled himself and his friends for grades later on which lead up to high school. He gave up on the idea of getting invited once he realized he not only had no significant talent, but also after he dropped middle school. Then, much to his surprise, he was invited to Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Supreme Leader. He doesn't remember too much as after that. How strange.

"You're weird, huh? I'm Kokichi Ouma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader." He announced, grinning triumphantly. Nagito, being the strange man he is, of course, reacted strangely.

"What an amazing talent! Such a shame you had to meet the worthless garbage I am." Nagito complained, resting his hand on his head which he shook in shame.

"Wow, you really are odd, huh? Well if you don't wanna be so useless, why don't you show me around?" Kokichi offered, taking the opportunity to make use out of this odd stranger he encountered.

"You'd really let me do that? Though I don't deserve it, I'd be honored to show the Ultimate Supreme Leader around. You are the hope for the future against despair after all! Please, follow me."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Kirumi bond over a haircut, featuring some background info on Kokichi's gang!

Kokichi caught onto the layout of the mansion quickly after Nagito gave him a tour. If the boy was honest, Nagito was one of the weirdest males he’s ever encountered; but despite this, the two formed an equally strange bond when conversing through the tour. In fact, if you were to look at the two from about a mile away, you may see two normal friends; and Kokichi, though he would never admit it, enjoyed the company. Nagito was actually pretty cool behind all of his odd mannerisms after all.

Surprisingly throughout the tour, Kokichi hadn’t encountered a soul. He was able to spot some familiar faces in a few rooms, but the tour didn’t involve Kokichi entering said rooms. He spotted Angie in an art room of sorts, she was sitting on some tarp, carving into some wood as Tenko sat in front of her. Tenko seemed to be complaining or ranting, but Kokichi wasn’t too sure.

Kokichi had also spotted Miu tinkering with a remote in a lab looking room. He didn’t even want to know what the remote led to.

Kokichi did recall seeing Kirumi dusting some books in an area that resembled a library. That happened to be where he was heading now seeing how it was his best luck for finding the maid. He stopped abruptly, looking through the window of the library. That was another odd feature of the mansion. All of the rooms contained one-way mirrors, or at least he was told it was oneway.

He couldn’t verify seeing how he’s only been in rooms without said windows. He’s been told the only rooms without the windows was the kitchen, the VR room, the bathrooms, and of course, the bedrooms. Now that he thought about it, the other rooms which he had discovered were also missing the windows as well. It was strange though, throughout the tour he hadn't spotted any empty and older hallways, but he wasn’t about to ask Nagito though.

To Kokichi’s relief, the maid was there in the library, sitting on a chair which faced the opposite way from the door, flipping through a book. Kokichi opened the door, walking in and over to the female’s side. He peered over Kirumi’s shoulder, attempting to read the page as well, but found himself bored at the first sentence.

“Mmoomm!” He whined, noticing a small jump from the lady as she closed her book. “I’m bored and need a haircut.” He added, draping himself along the chair she was seated in. "Can you give me one? Plleeaase?" He pleaded, watching curiously as she stood up.

"Alright Kokichi, please stop with calling me 'mom' though." She accepted, walking towards the exit of the library and gesturing him to follow. He did so with a skip in his step.

"Hey hey, Mom! Where're we goin'? Huuh huhh?" He pestered, bouncing alongside the lady who did not seem bothered yet by the boy.

"To the kitchen, you need some food, and I need scissors to cut your hair," Kirumi explained taking a sharp left. Kokichi followed suit, the directions from Nagito still fresh on his mind. The two came to a stop, Kirumi holding the door to the kitchen open for Kokichi. Kokichi strolled in, staring at the door open to the VR room and a loud commotion coming from the room.

"What's going on?" Kokichi asked, spinning around to look at Kirumi, who had left her spot near the door and was now making Kokichi a bowl of soup which was sitting in a pot on the stove.

"I assume they're getting ready to watch the trial. Everyone gets together and-" Kirumi was cut off by a head peeking out of the doorway.

"Kirumi! The trial's about to start are you joining- oh hi Kokichi! Are you two joining us for the trial." Kaede asked a loud 'hurry up Bakamatsu' heard from behind her.

"That's up to Kokichi, he has requested a haircut," Kirumi stated, looking over to the boy. He looked at the floor in thought, tapping his chin with a hum.

"Ah well, you better hurry and decide! It's starting the elevator descent. See you in if ya join us!" She said with a wave, walking into the room.

"Maybe after the haircut," he muttered, more to himself than to Kirumi. She didn't seem to mind, however, nodding as she started walking off. Kokichi noticed and rushed after her, not before he hid three cans of Panta in his pant's inside pocket.

Kirumi walked towards her bedroom. It was seemingly shared with Angie based on the photo a door down. He watched her open the door, inviting him in with a nod of her head.

Her room was spotless; not that he expected anything different from the Ultimate Maid. She handed Kokichi the bowl of soup, walking over to a chair she had at a desk against her wall. She pulled it into the bathroom which was spotless as well. What was he expecting? A mess? Nope.

Kokichi made sure to finish his soup rather quickly, not wanting to hold up someone considerate enough to help him. He finished the last few spoonfuls of the meal then placed the bowl on her desk and skipped over to the seat she had set up for him.

Kirumi wrapped a towel around his neck, before running a brush through his mostly dry hair. He began relaxing at the feeling, sighing contentedly. Kirumi continued like this for about ten minutes before parting for a split second to grab a spray bottle. Kokichi shivered at the cold water running down his neck as she sprayed his hair. As much as he was at peace at the situation, the quiet left him with an unsettling feeling. He never had really enjoyed the silence when he had company. If he was by himself it'd be fine, but he wasn't.

"Wahh. I don't like the silence." He cried, his voice cutting through the quiet like a knife.

"Well, what would you like to talk about?" Kirumi offered. Shoot. Kokichi hadn't thought about that.

"I don't know, you choose," Kokichi admitted with a pout after a minute of silence. He watched as a small smile made its way on to Kirumi's face. It only seemed to be there for a second, however.

"Tell me about... your family?" Kirumi offered, the quiet snipping of the scissors filling the air. Kokichi contemplated this option. He wouldn't mind talking about his friends, besides, if he revealed anything too serious he could just claim it was a lie. He also really wanted to talk about them. He missed them. So much.

"Alright. There's ten of us, including me. Going from youngest to oldest, it'd be Mayumi, then it'd be Haru and Eimi; they're siblings. Next, it'd be me, then Sora, then Yuuto, Fuyumi, Daiki, Joji, and finally Itsuki." He spoke, counting them off on his fingers as he went. Kirumi nodded to show she was listening as she clipped at his long strands of hair.

"I don't really know what to tell you about," he continued, biting his thumbnail in thought. "I always fixed Mayumi's and Eimi's hair, though I'm sure they knew how to do it themselves. They would always insist I did it." He said with the smallest smile. He either didn't notice Kirumi watching him with a fond smile, or he didn't care.

"There's Fuyumi, she made our clothes, but I was the one to design our uniform. She did amazing though, I still haven't thanked her enough. Hmm... oh! One time we tried to get Daiki on a diet, but he somehow always managed to sneak snacks behind our backs. We gave up after a while. Then there's Yuuto. He's always doing some dumbass daredevil stunt. I have no idea how he's survived this long." Kokichi said, grinning at the thought of his best friend. He had to explicitly tell him he would not be able to make a jump from a 5 story building to a 2 story building and survive one time.

"Oh! One day Sora came up with the idea of masks, to hide our identity and all. We all designed one and got Fuyumi to make them. She did amazing at that too. Haru was the one who offered the idea that everyone but me makes their mask have two eyes and mine have one. Since I'm the leader and all." He explained, looking up at the mirror once more. Kirumi was really good at this. He was starting to look identical to how he used to during the game.

Oh, that reminded him!

"Itsuki always cut my hair back then, he was our fashionista besides Fuyumi. Joji was our clown. He always seemed to be in a good mood, and cheered us up all the time." He described, his fingers tapping against his knee in thought.

"Hey, Kirumi?" He hummed, looking at her through the bathroom's mirror.

"Yes, Ouma?"

"You won't talk to the other's about any of this, about me ranting like a child about my friends, right?" Kokichi didn't know why he was so worried about her exposing him. Maybe it was just because he didn't want his reputation ruined? He blamed it on that.

"You have my word." Was Kirumi's only response as she finished combing out the last strand of cut hair.

"Thanks, mom." He responded with a smile, hoping up as the towel fell off. He shook his head of excess hair, watching as Kirumi swept up the strands piled on the ground.

"You can go along Kokichi, I'll finish cleaning up in here." Kiruimi said; he nodded, saying a quick 'thanks' as he ran out and towards the VR room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's coming in the next?? :))
> 
> also if you want a little guide to who's who for Ouma's friends look at a photo from Ouma's Motivation video with the dice members and;  
> Mayumi- brown long haired girl sitting on the ground  
> Eimi- girl in very back with pigtails on the left side  
> Haru- Brown haired boy, second to last on the right side  
> Sora- Blonde boy, last on the right side  
> Yuuto- Blonde boy, second to last on left side  
> Fuyumi- Only girl left, 3rd from the end on the left side  
> Daiki- My big boy on the right, behind Yuuto and Mayumi  
> Joji- My man with the clown afro  
> Itsuki- My final fashionista, look at him styling, a queen
> 
>  
> 
> There ya go! If you need help finding Ouma, Im sorry, i still can't find him :(   
> He's just too hard to notice


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi watches the trial, oh and Kaito wakes up.

Kokichi slipped soundlessly into the room, loud outbursts of confusion filled the air. The group present seemed to be yelling about who they believed was in an Exisal. Kokichi sank over to a dark corner, hidden from straying eyes while still being able to view the screen. He was more amused by the outburst in front of him, however.

"Come on Kaede! We all know you know who's in there! Just tell us!" A voice had cried out, he matched it with Tenko.

"Hah Hah! Sorry, you should just try to figure it out yourself!" Kaede responded. Kokichi spotted Rantaro nod in agreement beside her.

This caused another outburst, two sides set against each other over who they thought was in the Exisal. He smirked, vague memories of his plan flooding back into his mind. He recalled writing "How to be Kokichi Ouma" by Kokichi Ouma, but that was long before his death. He must have given it to Kaito. He was planning a way to trick the Mastermind since the beginning, so he must have taken his death as the opportunity.

So that means his death was planned? That's new, but not unbelievable.

A hush silenced the room, as everyone's eyes returned to the screen. Monokuma was explaining the remote control which was used to control the Exisal. God, did he really have to tell them all that? 

"Hey, isn't it a bit unfair to tell them all that?"

Wow, he really did think of everything. He snickered quietly at how well Kaito played him.

Kokichi watched the trial, finding himself growing more and more bothered by the fact that Shuichi hadn't figured out his plan. Wasn't he suppose to be a detective. No one else in the room had either, that didn't seem to shock him as much though. He watched the screen, cringing at the video of the press crushing his body. That explained the soreness which enveloped his body when he awoke.

What an awful way to die... he deserved it.

He continued watching as the time passed, and near the end of the trial, he grew tired. It was hard to fall asleep with all of the loud outbursts in the room though. Kaito had emerged from the Exisal which of course had an immediate reaction. Everyone was screaming about how they knew it was Kaito in the mech, or they were shouting fits of protests to the man's reveal.

Kokichi only watched them with amusement at the scene. 

"Wow! Nishishi! You guys really are idiots!" He exclaimed, earning a shriek of fear from Miu.

"Oh hey, Ouma!" Kaede greeted, waving at the boy who slung his arms behind his head, a mischevious grin painted on his face. The others seemed at a loss for words at Kokichi's presence.

"Ah, Ouma! Atua told me he had guided your soul back to us! You should thank him!" Angie cheered, clapping her hands in front of her.

And all hell broke loose.

"You thought it was Ouma in the Exisal-"

"Gonta is confused-"

"I knew that little fucker was here!"

"Guys, please calm do-"

"That degenerate could've gotten Himiko killed-"

"Hey, hey! If you idiots keep running those obnoxious voices of yours you'll miss the best part! The execution," Kokichi said, causing the group to quit talking. They looked at the boy with annoyance and disgust though, some holding more than others.

They turned back towards the screen nonetheless, quieting down at the explanation Kaito was giving. Kokichi wanted to hear this part in all actuality, in fact, he hated the execution. He hated anything that included the death of another human. He had a dislike for some of the humans in the room currently due to this fact. Himself included.

He hadn't intended to kill Kaito, but he placed too much faith in a bystander who had not known his plan. This led to Kaito's death and he was the one in which the blame truthfully fell on.

"Oh, I hate his guts. Honestly, I'm still pissed off at him. He made us go through so much crap. To the end- No even beyond that... He was a lying sack of shit." Kaito's voice cut into his thoughts, Kokichi watched as the man spoke of him.

"I asked him something before he died though. I asked him why he wanted to ruin the killing game if he kept saying how fun it was. I remember what he said exactly too. " Kaito stated, looking at the ground in thought. Everyone was quiet at this moment, those in the game, and those out.

"How could a game that you're forced to play be fun? I had to think this game was fun to survive. I had to lie to myself! The bastards who created this game to toy with our lives, and the shits enjoying it... They all piss me off. That's why I'm willing to do whatever it takes to end this game." Kaito quoted. Ah, Kokichi remembered that... and it was true, he hated this game. He was pulled out of his thoughts by another voice.

"Kokichi said... that?" Maki.

"That could've been a lie, too. He probably just said it so I'd cooperate with him." Kaito added, rubbing the back of his head in thought. Kokichi would've thought he'd be better at knowing simple truth from a lie when someone was opening up to them in their dying moments. Guess not.

"Was it really a lie...? I think his dying words may have been the honest truth..." Kiibo asked, looking nervously to the side. Wow, even a robot understood, come on Kaito. Shuichi voiced an agreement with the boy made out of metal.

"No, it's definitely a lie. He's not the type to shed real tears." Himiko accused. She's not entirely wrong, it's been a while since he's cried honestly in front of another human. But he's not a robot, he has feelings too.

"It's probably a lie, that little gremlin doesn't tell truths," Miu exclaimed.

And just like that, the room was thrown into another debate over whether Kokichi had spoken the truth, the group seeming to have forgotten the male was there. Kaede looked back to ask the boy personally, but once she turned around to ask Kokichi, she came to a realization.

That being that he was no longer present.

Kokichi grabbed his key from behind the picture frame, quickly unlocking the door as he entered. He didn't feel like hearing insults thrown at him anymore. He closed the door, a loud slam following the action. Oops, he didn't mean to close it that hard. He locked the door and hid the key, then sprinted at the bed, tossing himself onto it with a small grunt. He just wanted to sleep forever. So that's what he did.  
...

...

...

  
He wished.

He awoke about three or four hours later with loud talking and the sound of loud footsteps walking down the hall. God, who didn't know how to be quiet? He let a few cuss words slip out of his lips as he peeled his eyes open.

"Ow, holy sh-" He had left his lights on when he fell asleep, the sudden change of lighting burning his eyes. He sat up, stretching as he got up and dragged himself over to his light switch. He switched the lights off and ran his hands over his eyes. He also forgot to switch out of his uniform and brush his teeth. Might as well do that now.

He staggered into the bathroom, still not fully awake, and switched on the light. He walked over to the sink, squeezing the toothpaste on his purple toothbrush and running water over it. His started brushing without as though it was an automated action, leaning against the sink with a bored look in the mirror. Kokichi rested his face on his hand which was propped up on the counter, his eyes slowly shutting. Then...

BANG.

The door to the left of him swung open. This caused his eyes to snap open, his hand flying in front of his mouth to keep him from spitting toothpaste out. Kokichi's toothbrush clattered in the sink and the boy spit out the liquid held in his mouth as he heard an alarmed voice.

"Oops." A voice spoke with an awkward chuckle. Kokichi coughed into the sink then took a breath which he had lost during the scare. He turned his head towards the door which had burst open and spotted two figures.

Kaito and Rantaro.

"Forgot you and Saihara switched, sorry for the scare Ouma!" Rantaro explained, smiling weakly at the boy who was hunched over the sink, glaring at the two in the door.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's gonna show up in the next one?? :))) I took a nap so this one's a little later than I would usually upload
> 
> also
> 
> I suck at drawing Kokichi 
> 
> It's his hair, can he just go bald, please? you too Amami, ur also a difficult lil boy
> 
> All the danganronpa characters should go bald.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi wants to (rightfully) avoid everyone.

Kokichi grumbled in annoyance to himself, returning to brushing his teeth. Looking at Kaito gave him a sour taste in his mouth that he wanted to get rid of.

"Ah, well now that you know your way around I should get going, I'm tired. If you have any questions I'm sure Kokichi would help." Rantaro said, giving Kokichi a look that seemed to say 'Please get along.' Rantaro excused himself, walking out of the room with an audible sigh.

Kokichi gave up with brushing his teeth, instead choosing to rinse out the sink and his mouth. Kaito hadn't said a thing, nor had he moved from his spot in the doorframe. He was just staring at Kokichi, and Kokichi hated it. He hated the eyes burning a hole into his skull and the silence which engulfed the room.

He rolled his eyes setting down his toothbrush and turning away from the idle male. Kokichi ran a hand through his hair and sighed, walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He jumped at the bang that came from the action, once again not meaning to close the door that hard.

He was honestly just having a bad night, it wasn't all that bad until the watching of the trial if he was honest. He had only spent the day exploring and hanging out with Kirumi. He even felt like he grew closer to her. Then everyone was talking shit about him in front of him, and his dying words were even played off as a lie. As a cheap ploy for pity and cooperation.

He really didn't want to encounter another human ever again. With a few exceptions. Kirumi's ok, and his family can visit him at any moment, Shuichi's alright too. The detective never insulted him much to his face, so he'll give him a pass. Nagito was alright too, his strangeness could be fun.

Kokichi let a groan escape his lips as he collapsed on his bed in the dark room. Did he want to change into a nightshirt and shorts? No, but he will at least take it off and sleep in his underwear. So that's what he did, he peeled off his clothing, the cold air in the room making him shiver, and curled up under the comforter.

He awoke around 5 in the morning, like he usually does. Does he get enough sleep this way? Probably? Maybe? No. He didn't think about it too much, instead, he had a plan for today. Avoid everyone by exploring, and find this Hajime guy and get answers. Good plan. He strolled into the bathroom, stray hairs from his haircut yesterday jabbing his neck uncomfortably. He was also probably covered in dust. Long story short he needed a shower.

After the wash, which was significantly shorter than his last, he brushed his teeth and hair. He looked at his flattened hair in the mirror, waving at himself childishly. It'd dry to his usual hairstyle, so he wasn't too worried the strange look.

Kokichi finished up quickly, then sprinted out of the room. He did make sure to lock and hide his key though. He wanted to get started before anyone else woke up. He knows Kirumi is usually awake at this time, having run into her a few times during the simulation.

Ok, how to find the stairwell? He'd just have to wander and get lost again. He could go the way he exited, under the rubble, but he didn't feel like it. So he did the second best thing, close his eyes and wander down the halls with his hand against the wall for a guide.

This didn't go well though, within about a few minutes of wandering aimlessly down random hallways, he slammed into a wall, falling back with a whine. At least he thought it was a wall. He peeked his eyes open, spotting a group of five people wandering from the main hallway.

"Damn it! Wrong way." He muttered, picking himself up off of the ground. Forgetting the failure of his mission, he turned his attention toward the group staring at him. A stranger, an assassin, a robot, a magician, and a detective. He ignored the ones he was familiar with and turned towards the stranger who was giving him a worried look.

"Oum-" Shuichi had started speaking, sounding somewhat alarmed, but Kokichi cut him off, bouncing over towards the stranger.

"Hey hey! Are you Hajime? Hmm?" He pestered, walking closer to the girl, who he was 99 percent sure wasn't Hajime. The girl scrambled backward, looking frightened.

"N-No! My name's Mika- Ahh!" She fell back, tripping over nothing but her feet, landing in an unusually lewd position. Maki covered Shuichi's eyes and looked away, her expression still stone cold. Kiibo had squeezed his eyes shut, his face flushed pink. How does he do that anyway? Himiko averted her eyes, offering the nurse a hand up. She took it, pulling herself up, almost dragging the significantly shorter girl down.

"Ahh, I'm so embarrassed!" She cried. Kokichi shrugged, spinning around to walk the other way. He had a plan after all, which was already falling apart by running into the group. He stopped when he heard Shuichi call out.

"Ouma, Where're you going?" Shuichi asked. Kokichi spun around with a grin.

"Is my dear Shuichi worried about my wellbeing? How sweet! I knew you loved me." Kokichi cooed, giving the group a small wave. "See ya later!" He cheered, disappearing out of their sight. Shuichi frowned, watching his figure fade.

"He didn't even answer my question." He muttered, getting a shrug from Himiko.

"He's probably up to no good, like always." She accused, looking in the direction he wandered off in as well.

Kokichi skipped down different hallways, taking random lefts and rights, eventually finding himself in a dark hallway with cracked walls. He cheered quietly to himself, reaching in his pocket and fishing out a bobby pin. He walked over to the door, unlocking it with ease.

The dusty room was the same as when he left it, a trace of his dragged finger found on the railing. The only sign of change was the thin sheet of dust laying over the trail he had made. He turned to the open door and shut it quietly, locking it back. Ouma gripped the bobby pin in his hand, knowing he'd need it soon enough. As he climbed up the stairwell, his eagerness grew. He wanted to know what was down the hallways, and he still had another floor, maybe two to discover. The quiet that exploring held was another bonus, no harsh jabs thrown his way, just the patter of his feet.

He made it to the door unlocking it quicker than the last time, now knowing where to aim his pin to open the door. He walked through, having no real need to lock it back, knowing that the pathways to the door were blocked off. He still locked it anyways though, the comfort of knowing he was the only one who could get into locked rooms edging him on.

He walked towards the intersection, looking down the hallways at his options. Windows or darkness, windows or darkness? Windows, he'd probably need a flashlight for the darker hallway. He looked at the wooden boards covering the windows, giving them a small tug. Wow, that felt like it'd come off with ease. Why not try? He grasped onto the wood and yanked at the board. He fell back when it gave way, stumbling back against the wall.

"That was easy," he muttered, using the same process with the other two boards covering the window. He piled up the wood, sliding it to the side. He may find a use for it later, so he should keep it where he left it. He reached over to the window and pulled it open, a loud screech coming from the movement of the old furniture. It opened though, and he looked out at the sun which was low in the sky. He took a deep breath, the fresh air refreshing compared to the dust. He chose to clear each window of the boards and open them, just to air out and shed light into the room.

He looked at the hall with a sigh, if he wanted this to be a secret lair or hideout he'd need to clean it. With that in mind, he walked towards the rubble exit, in search of some cleaning supplies he could use to help the room. He never minded cleaning, he was just disorganized so continuously cleaning his room would be a pain. That's why it was such a mess in the killing game, but he didn't mind the task of cleaning the hall. It'd be a refreshing break from all of the stress of human interaction.

Kokichi pushed at the loose piles of rocks and slipped through the hole, covering it up once he arrived on the other side. He sprinted down the hall and towards the kitchen. It's probably where Kirumi left some supplies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy oh boy, I swear I'll give Kokichi more interaction with Kaito and Shuichi :(( Sorry 
> 
> Thank you for reading though!! Ily all <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm s o r r y

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi will be happy soon, I swear, maybe even next chapter.  
> but  
> this  
> ain't   
> it.  
> :) Are you ready kids?

Kokichi sped down the hallway, taking a sharp turn towards the kitchen, only to bump into someone. He’s really gotta stop doing this. He looked up at who he happened to run into and...

Oh great.

”Ouma?” Kaito questioned, glancing at the boy with concern, not really for the boy, but for what the boy was doing. “Where are you going in such a hurry? Causing trouble?”

Kokichi huffed, rolling his eyes in distaste.

“You wouldn’t understand, Momota! You’re too stupid to figure anything out.” Kokichi stated, before continuing strolling past the man.

“Hey! I’m not stupid!” Kaito complained, turning around and following the boy towards the kitchen. Kokichi stopped in his tracks once he realized he was following him and spun around, looking at the male unamused.

”What do you think you’re doing?” Kokichi questioned, annoyance evident in his voice, staring at him with an intense gaze. Kaito just stared back at him, equally intense.

“I’m following you to make sure you aren’t causing trouble.” He explained, Kokichi just huffed, continuing on. He’d lose him eventually, all he had to do was run around. So that’s what he did, he took off into a sprint, a surprised ‘hey’ could be heard behind him. He ran past the kitchen and down another hall, taking multiple sharp turns. He took a peek behind him, grinning triumphantly as he was starting to lose Kaito, but as he took another sharp turn-

“Haah ow.”

He ran straight into another person. What is this, the third time today? The force was strong enough to knock him back though, a sharp gasp escaped him as he landed on his back. He held his head tightly as it had slammed against the floor, a string of cusses exiting his mouth. At that moment, Kaito happened to catch up, and he lifted the boy up by the hem, if you could even call the tattered clothing that, of his uniform.

“Gotcha! I knew you were up to something! An innocent person wouldn’t run.” Kaito called, earning a sharp glare from the boy. Kokichi was pissed for a lack of better words, but even that was an understatement.

”God fucking damn it, Kaito Momota!” He shouted, wriggling out of the startled male’s grip.

“I cannot seem to get a fucking break, huh? Everywhere I go it’s just insults and a massive headache! It’s so god damn annoying! And now I have you following me around like a stalker because you think I’m up to something? In all actuality, I’m just trying to get away from assholes like you! I want a break every now and then to keep myself from going insane from all the accusations and comments directed at me! So if you could, mind your own business, asshole!” Kokichi screamed, feeling his face burn up with frustration. Now you think Kaito would be smart and sympathize with Kokichi, maybe even apologize, but he isn’t. Instead, he seemed to grow upset as well!

“How am I suppose to know you aren’t up to something! That’s all you ever did in the game, annoy and pester! You’re like a little rodent, all ways coming and going when no one wants you to come! Maybe if you acted halfway normal and like an actual human people would like you enough to not suspect you! But no! You lie and lie and spin others into your web of lies as well. Where has that landed you? With no friends and insults haunting your every move! It’s no one’s fault but your own!” Kaito argued back, glaring at the boy in front of him. Kokichi looked up at him with eyes full of hatred, which shook Kaito to his core.

"You're really fucking stupid, huh Kaito? God, I don't mind having no friends! I never really did, but it's all of the insults day after day that really breaks someone down! What did I do to deserve this? All I did was try to survive, apologies for not being one open to trusting every single person like you Kaito. I didn't know it was a crime to seclude yourself from others who'll just end up backstabbing you. But we're out of the game now, you don't have to worry about me killing someone. You don't have to start confusion on whether or not my last words were a fucking lie for pity and cooperation. You don't have to do anything about me anymore, ok?" Kokichi hissed, taking a deep breath, the anger still flowing through him, but regret beginning to wash over the blood coursing.

"The game's over now though, so just... leave me alone. I just want to get back to people who actually like me; I know, hard to believe that kind of people exists, huh? I'm still trying to grasp the concept myself." He muttered, quieter now as if he was reflecting on the thought. He blinked and rubbed his upper arm, eyes drooped to the side.  
  
"Please just leave me alone, I'm too tired." He muttered, his eyes shifting over to the right at the movement in the corner of his eyes. Oh, he was there the whole time? Must have been who he ran into again. Shuichi was looking at him pitifully, which he hated. Didn't matter, maybe he'd leave him alone too.

Kokichi began to walk off once more, this time no one followed him. Once he was around the corner, out of sight, he broke into a sprint. He burst into the kitchen, relieved to find it empty, and grabbed a cart of cleaning supplies. That'd help him clear his mind, cleaning, it’d give him time to think. He placed as much of the smaller items into a plastic bag he found and carried the larger ones which wouldn’t fit. He rushed towards his staircase, having taken mental note of the directions beforehand from the time he had found it before.

It took him a few minutes to get up to the hidden hall, having to set down the items, open the doors, pick up the items, lock the doors, and repeat the process. Kokichi swayed down the hall, dropping the items with a loud clatter. He looked around at the hall and grabbed the Windex, choosing to start with the windows. Kokichi pulled down a window from its open position, wiping it free of dust and grime. Once finished, he looked out the clear glass and smiled, the ray of light shining warmly against his skin. He repeated this process with the other windows lining the wall, the walkway beginning to look newer to his joy.

He picked up the broom and began sweeping the floor of dust, memories of the fight still fresh on his mind. He shouldn't have lost his temper, he shouldn't have said so much, he shouldn't have said anything. He should've just lied, lied, lied, lied, lied-

Creeak.. snap.

Ah, he bent the plastic on the broom. Kirumi'd be upset but he's sure there are more brooms in the residence than just this one. He should just the fight go, worst case scenario, everyone knows. What then, they pity him? Nah, they'd just mess with him more with the knowledge that it got under his skin.

Oh well.

He continued sweeping, the hall's floor looking much cleaner. He made sure he got the dust into a dustpan he had grabbed before dumping the trash out a window. He set the now broken broom aside and grabbed a mop he had also managed to carry with him. He had some cleaner for the floor, which should work alright, but he wasn't positive. He dumped the liquid on the floor, though, taking his shoes off as he wouldn't want to track dirt from them onto the wood. It'd be a waste of mopping if he did. He grabbed the mop, beginning his wash on the floor.

He took a look at the hall from afar, which was now mostly clean. The walls could use a fresh coat of paint, which he'd probably find in that art room he saw Angie in. That could be saved for later though, for right now he could dust some? He would, but he's just... so tired.

He piled up the supplies and placed the items back in his bag, pulling his shoes back on over his damp socks. He walked over to his rubble exit, peeking through a crack in the rocks to make sure no one was around. He needed to start being more careful with his hideout if he wanted it to stay a secret.

After the worry of anyone being nearby was cleared up, Kokichi kicked the rocks out. Kokichi pushed the broom and mop through the hole, before sliding through himself, and finally sliding the bag of supplies through behind him. He hid the passage once more, slinging his bag over his shoulders as he picked up the other supplies. He strolled down the hall and into the kitchen, returning the supplies to where he had found it.

Kokichi made his way slowly back towards his room, the only thing motivating him being his desire for sleep. He wasn't usually this lazy, but he's just felt worn out lately. He arrived at the door and plucked the key out from behind the picture frame, unlocking it quickly.

"Hey, Kokichi-" Someone began, he didn't care enough to see who though. He just walked into the room and closed the door, locking it behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and Kaito talk. Kokichi also gets to do hair.

Kokichi opened his eyes hesitantly, wanting to instead lay there, unbothered by others. This wasn’t possible for him though, because he was awakened by a loud knock at his door. And he has tried ignoring said knock, but it continued to his dismay.

“Ouma, I know you’re in there. Shuichi told me he saw you go in.” He heard Kaito call from outside his door. Why didn’t he just go through the bathroom door, it'd be smarter. Oh right, Kaito wasn't the brightest. Kokichi rolled over, facing away from his door as the knocking got quieter. He was about to drift back into a quiet sleep, but a loud bang rang through the room. Kokichi shot up in alarm, eyes moving to find the source. It wasn't hard to find, though, due to the taller male standing triumphantly in the now open bathroom doorway.

"Finally got in..." he muttered, making Kokichi roll his eyes. He was making it seem as if the bathroom hadn't been an option of entry for the last few minutes.

"Gotta thank Shuichi for the advice later." That explains how he figured it out, but why did Kaito need to talk to him that bad? Wait. Oh no... he definitely did not want to have a conversation on their fight earlier, if that's what he's here for then-

"Did you hear me?" Kaito asked, sighing loudly when Kokichi shook his head 'no'. "I said Kirumi made dino chicken nuggets for lunch, and that Hajime guy wants us all in the Kitchen at 5... Also, I wanna talk to ya." Kaito said, eyes trailing to the side in a weak attempt to avoid eye contact.

"Wow, mom made chicken nuggets? I better go get some." Kokichi attempted to excuse himself, lifting himself off the bed and walking towards his door. He halted at the realization that to get through, he'd have to reveal his hiding spot for his key. He looked back at the bathroom door for an escape, but Kaito was standing there with a smirk. Kokichi sighed and walked back to his bed, collapsing on it with his eyes glued to the ceiling.

"Let's get this over with." He droned, peeking a glimpse at Kaito. Kaito pulled the door shut and walked over, sitting on the bed and staring at his hands.

"I wanted to apologize. I've been a jerk-"

"Asshole."

"Fine. I've been an asshole to you, and you didn't deserve that. In the end, you helped us all survive, we probably wouldn't have made it through so long without you." Kaito admitted, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Kokichi opened his mouth to make a snarky response, as it was his only defense to someone being kind to him, but Kaito cut him off. "I really should've noticed how much the rude comments hurt you, what kind of hero doesn't notice someone hurting, you know? What kind of hero participates in hurting? Ah, I'm getting carried away from the original topic. The point is, I'm sorry if I hurt you, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I feel you deserve an apology." Kaito stated, looking over at the laying boy, who kept an emotionless expression on his face. Kokichi's mind was racing in actuality. No one had ever really bothered to apologize for insulting him, and he was panicking. How to respond, think think think.

"Nishishi! Wow, Kaito! I thought you'd be smart enough to figure out that everything I said in that conversation was a lie. God, I guess you really are dumb. And of course you fight with me, I am the villain after all." Kokichi lied. That's not what he wanted to say, abort, abort. This is why no one likes him; if anyone shows an ounce of kindness to him, he freaks out, insulting and pushing others further away. Now he just had to wait for Kaito to grow annoyed and leave.

That didn't happen though.

"Wha- No. Kokichi, stop it with the lies. I know that you were being honest during that argument. Stop trying to distance yourself, like you said, we're out of the killing game. You don't have to be afraid of having friends, and you aren't a villain. In fact, while we're here, you're my next sidekick." Kaito confirmed with a nod. What? No, no, no. That's not part of his plan at all, in fact, he wanted to avoid as many interactions with anyone as possible, and becoming a sidekick would throw his plan out the window.

"I'm a supreme leader. What in that title says sidekick to you?" Kokichi asked flatly, looking over at Kaito with a blank look. Kaito shrugged, giving him a grin.

"Too late, I've made a decision, and you aren't being left alone unless you comply. You don't have to be called a sidekick though, it's just another word I use for friends." Kaito stated, grinning as he got up.

"Friends? You barely know me," Kokichi pointed out, sitting up as he watched the male walk to the bathroom door.

"Well, guess that means I'll have to get to know you. Better go eat your food before everyone has to meet with Hajime," he stated, waving as he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Kokichi watched him leave, and despite the worry which was balled in his stomach, he smiled. He got up, walking over to grab the key hidden in his suit's pocket. After exiting the room, locking it, and hiding the key once more, he skipped to the kitchen, not as tired as he was. Upon arrival, he was greeted by Angie, sitting at a stool, a chicken nugget in her hand, and her hair down.

"Hi hi, Ouma!" Angie called, waving at him with the hand that held the chicken nugget. She had a hairbrush on the countertop in front of her, and her hair seemed damp and stringy. She must have just come out of a shower. Angie seemed to notice his eyes wandering from the hairbrush and some hair supplies to her hair.

"I see, I see, does Ouma want to do my hair?" She asked, looking at Kokichi curiously. This caught Kokichi off guard, but if he was honest, he kinda did.

"Ah, uh sure." Kokichi accepted, walking over and taking a seat on the stool next to her. She spun to the side to give him access to her white hair as he spun to face her. It had been a while since he's done a girl's hair and the process was quite peaceful to him. He began brushing her hair, though it was quite a simple process as she had probably brushed her hair before he entered. He watched his movements with a concentrated gaze. After about ten minutes, he had managed to get Angie's hair in a bun, a braid wrapped tightly around it. He let go of her hair and spun her around, looking at her final look. A few strands of hair had managed to slip out of his grip, dangling loosely around her face, but it didn't look bad enough to redo the whole hairdo.

"It's good enough." He shrugged, standing up and walking over to the counter where his plate of food sat. He took a bite of one of the nuggets, turning around only to spot Angie looking at her reflection in the oven door.

"Ah! I look divine! Thank you, Ouma!" She cheered as the door swung open, Kaede and Maki walking in. Kokichi waved off her thanks, taking another bite of his food.

"Woah! Angie, I like your hair." Kaede complimented. Kokichi could feel the glares from Maki drilling into him.

"Thank you, Ouma did it!" She praised, getting up and tossing her trash away. "Byeonara! Atua be with you!" She hummed, skipping out of the room. Kaede looked at Kokichi curiously, but he looked away, shoving another piece of chicken into his mouth.

"You did that, Ouma?" She asked the boy sighed.

"No. Angie did it herself and just claimed I did it. Yes, of course I did it, why would Angie lie?" He asked, rolling his eyes at the stupid question.

"That's so cool! Can you do mine some time?" She questioned, looking at him with a bright smile. Kokichi shrugged, walking over to the fridge to grab a drink.

"Sure, I don't see why not. Harukawa doesn't seem too thrilled about our agreement though." He pointed out as he reached in, pulling out a Panta and opening it. He looked at the girl beside Kaede, who was glaring at him.

"You can't trust him Kaede, he's not someone to trust," Maki complained, turning towards the blonde with a scowl.

"I'm sure it's fine! You saw Angie, he did her hair. She looked great." She endorsed, smiling at the brunette. Maki just huffed as they walked over to the counter, Kaede looking at the hairbrush and excess supplies left from Angie.

"Oh no, Angie forgot her things." She muttered, Kokichi walked over and scooped them up.

"I'll return them." He offered, receiving a cautious glare from Maki and a kind smile from Kaede.

"Oh, thank you Kokichi!" She cheered as he walked out of the room, his empty drink and plate having been discarded. The door closed behind him, no reply was returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happier?? Are your hearts healing? HMmmsT?
> 
> :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi has a conversation with Angie, and the 5 o' clock meeting will begin soon.

  
Kokichi wandered down the hall, searching for Angie, his hands were full of hair supplies which she had left. He took a turn down the hallway towards the art room but stopped immediately. He didn't want to run into the oncoming pair, seeing as he'd already ran into enough people for the day. He looked at the taller and shorter girl in front of him, as they came to a halt. Tenko was quick to step in front of Himiko in protection.

"A degenerate! Don't worry Himiko! I'll protect you!" Tenko exclaimed, getting into a fighting position. Kokichi merely rolled his eyes, a smirk painted over his lips. He merely strolled past the girl, watching her eyes follow him as he passed.

"Don't worry, Chabashira! I won't harm your little girlfriend. But watch out, I may steal her pretty little heart." He called as he walked by, hearing a sharp gasp come from Tenko and a flustered 'Nyeh?' from Himiko. He snickered as he broke out into a sprint down the hall, not really wanting to be tackled and hit by the Aikido master. He heard a distant 'Get back here!', but he seemed to be too quick for her to catch up to. He skidded to a stop at the art room, spotting Angie painting something on the walls. He knocked at the door, remembering the fact from the killing game that she couldn't do art in an unlocked room. Strange, but he could understand wanting to be alone to concentrate. He watched through the window as she stood and walked gracefully over, unlocking and pulling the door open.

"Ah! Ouma! Welcome, welcome! What brings you here? Perhaps you want to learn more about Atua and accept him into your life?" She asked, tilting her head curiously at the boy's presence.

"No, of course not, you forgot these. Why'd I wanna join your dumb cult?" He asked with rolled eyes, anding her the items he held in his hand.

"Oh, I see I see! But Ouma, Atua is a divine being, not a cult! Besides, of course you'd want to accept him, and for him to accept you!" She exclaimed, strolling into the room and setting down the hair supplies on a table against the wall. Kokichi strolled in after her, curiosity edging him on.

"Oh, is that so? Why's that?" He asked, spinning around the room with a blank expression. He didn't believe she had a real reason, but she wasn't dumb. In fact, she was one of the more intelligent ones of the group in the art understanding people and want to hear, so he was curious about what her reasoning was.

"Because you're alone!" She exclaimed, catching Kokichi off guard.

"Huh?"

"Well, do you have any friends here? Anyone who actually likes you, who would listen to your complaints and always be there for you?" She asked, making Kokichi think. No, he personally had no one here who actually was friends with him or liked him. Some tolerated him, but that's completely different than like. Although Kaito claimed they were friends, he was sure he just wants to make up for his wrongdoings, once he’s done with that, Kokichi will be forgotten as though nothing had happened.

”But buuttt you’d want a friend after a while, a feeling of belonging. Right right? That’s why you’ll accept Atua! And he will accept you!” She encouraged, clapping her hands together happily. Kokichi frowned, strolling over to the paint cans lining the wall.

”Hmm, alright! But you’re forgetting one thing!” He stated, spinning around to face her, pointing at her accusingly with a finger gun, one eye closed as if he was aiming.

”Hm? And what’s that?” She asked curiously with a tilted head. Kokichi smirked, pulling the trigger as his hand raised towards the ceiling.

”I’m a supreme leader, I don’t need nor want friends.” He stated, spinning back towards the paint cans lining multiple shelves. Angie blinked and smiled widely, moving swiftly to his side.

“I see! I see! My mistake.” She apologized, knowing that was a lie but ignoring it, for the time being, and reaching up and grabbing a few colors down. “Atua says these colors would suit what you’re looking for.” She said with a smiled, sliding the colors over to him. He looked at the mix of purples, magentas, pinks, and gold. He looked at her with a grin, nodding in thanks.

”What are you painting?” She questioned as he found more supplies he’d need.

“How dare you! So insensitive! You should know a supreme leader would never tell his secrets!” He replied, faking an offended voice as he pulled out a sizeable yet dirty paintbrush, tossing it back where he grabbed it from.

"Ah, I am the ultimate artist! I could be of more use than you think Ouma. Correct?” She chirped stressing the 'am', handing him a paintbrush, which was not only in better shape but also bigger, also passing him a pan to place paint in. He looked at her, humming in thought.

“Perhaps. I’ll come to get you if I need to.” He shrugged, taking the tools and walking towards the door of the room with the items in his arms. “Bye Angie!” He called, strolling out, a faint ‘Byeonara’ could be heard behind him. He strolled down the halls towards his hideout, he could at least put up the cans. He arrived at the door with cracked paint, and unlocked it, slipping the paint in. He closed the door and relocked it, before beginning towards the kitchen. It had to be close to 5, which meant that Hajime guy wanted to talk to them.

Upon arrival, he found that he was right, everyone was already there, Kaito and his duo of sidekicks included. Kaede was beside Maki, chatting with her excitedly and Kaito was doing the same but with Shuichi. Korekiyo was in the corner, reading a book on who knows what, Ryoma was over by Gonta, talking to him while looking off into space. Miu and Kiibo were sitting and, from what he could hear, discussing possible upgrades. Tenko and Angie seemed to be... fighting? Himiko was grasped by her shoulders by Tenko. Rantaro and Kirumi seemed to be having a conversation about unique foods they’ve tried and enjoyed eating and making.

“Kokichi!” A hissed voice called, breaking Kokichi out of his observations. He looked around, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, unable to find the source of the voice. “Psst! Kokichi!” It called again. He spun around, but no one was there. He trailed the room with his eyes once more, finally, they landed upon a hand which was waving him over. This hand belonged to none other than Kaito. He looked away from the obnoxious male, glancing around as though he was oblivious.

“Oi!” He was spun around, only to come face to face with Kaito’s chest.

“Hm? Is anyone there? Hello?” He called, spinning back around. Kaito sighed and grabbed the boy from under his arms, lifting him effortlessly, despite his squirming and struggling for being released, and brought him over to where he and his group sat on the ground.

“What’s he doing here?” Maki asked, hatred seeping in each word.

“Calm down Maki-roll. He’s my new sidekick. Oh, wait! Gah, I was waiting for the big reveal to be tonight during training!” Kaito complained, receiving confused looks from both Shuichi and Maki.

“What? Why?” Shuichi asked as Kokichi draped himself across the boy dramatically.

“Ah, my beloved Saihara. Your dear friend believed a few of my lies and now he thinks I need friends. Now, if you could kindly prove to him how insane he is-“

”Nope.” Shuichi interrupted, shaking his head ‘no’ to emphasize his denial.

”What?” Kokichi asked, confusion evident in his voice as he looked up to the boy from his shoulder.

”I said no. I think it’s a good idea! I can get to know you more, and if you’re referring to those lies you told being you two's fight, then you defiantly weren't lying. You need friends Kokichi, that fight proved that.” He shrugged, smiling warmly at him. Kokichi groaned loudly, shaking his head in annoyance.

“God, not you too. They were lies, ok? None of what I said was true, so just forget it all. Gosh, I thought my beloved would be on my side at least.” He pouted, heaving a sigh as he leaned back more into Shuichi's side, causing the boy to be pushed over slightly. If Maki had any objections to him being added to their group, she didn’t voice them, instead choosing to stay quiet.

The chatter in the room came to an abrupt halt as the door opened almost as if a spell was cast to silence the occupants. Kokichi looked over to the door and spotted three figures, one carrying a box. Nagito, Mikan, and a male with a red eye and a greenish brown eye holding a large cardboard box.

The door closed behind the trio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I drew Kokichi and put it on my tumblr and insta,, but it's not that good tbh aaaa
> 
> it's   
> @negativiteee on both, and theres only one post bc i always delete any art i post, but if u wanna take a little peek u can :)) Thank you for reading!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Answers are given, and so is something else.

"Hi, My name's Hajime Hinata, as you may or may not know. Please call me by my first name, Hajime. I am the one in charge of the mansion, and in charge over you." Hajime greeted, resing the box in front of him. "I am here to give you as much of an explanation as I can, but unfortunately, that is probably not going to be much." The male looked around at the crowded room and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "There isn't much room in here so how about we go into the VR room?" He offered.

After a few murmurs of agreement, the room slowly filtered into the other. Kokichi made an attempt to sneak away from Kaito and Shuichi, but it seemed to be in vain as he was quickly grabbed and pulled along with the group. After everyone piled around on the ground, the elders entered, the box now carried by Nagito.

"Alright, so as you know, you were all put in a virtual reality in which we were able to get you out of. Any questions concerning that?" Hajime offered, getting a variety of no's and not's really's. This seemed like a relief to Hajime, because he sighed and smiled. "That's good, that was one of the harder things to explain. Now the real point of this is to answer as many questions as we can. So, ask away, and we'll clarify as much as possible."

Multiple hands shot up, including some of his nearby 'partners'. Kokichi kept his hand down so that he could see if anyone asked what he wanted to know first, if not then he'd ask. Besides, raising hands and waiting patiently wasn't his thing.

"Ah, that's a lot, ok. Oh, and when I call on you can you please say your name? We got a list of names and somewhat know who's who, but verification is appreciated. That being said, uhm, you! Miu, correct?"

"The one and only gorgeous girl genius, Miu Iruma! Anyways- how long do you fuckers plan to keep us here, huh? We do have lives to live, well most of us." She cackled, her eyes straying over to Kokichi. He was quick to notice this and grinned, leaning back with his hands resting behind him.

"Hm? What, you call playing with yourself and Kiiboy over there a life? Wow, you've got some pretty low standards, huh?" He called at her, watching her stiffen in humiliation as a small cry exited her.

"Kokichi!" He heard Shuichi hiss beside, him making him snicker. Hinata brought the attention back to him with noises resembling that of clearing his throat.

"Ah, about your question. We aren't too sure. We first want to get to a point where Hope's Peak is rebuilt. You guys do still need to attend high school. Not only that but we were planning to keep you guys together for the most part? That doesn't sound right. Uh-"

"Basically we want you to grow together, almost like a family. Not to keep you trapped with one group, but to strengthen your bonds with each other. Be each other's strengths, each other's hopes!" Nagito started to cheer, a crazed look glazing over his eyes. Hajime shook his head disappointedly, patting the boy's shoulder. Kokichi saw Hajime whisper a small 'Stop you'll scare them' to Nagito.

"Uh, let's just move on, we have more to discuss. That question's a little difficult to answer. Basically, you'll probably be here until Hope's Peak has at least its dorms built. We also want to keep you in the same classroom so you'll already be familiar." Hajime explained clearer, his eyes scanning the room once more at the raised hands. He pointed at Shuichi, looking at him with a nod to go ahead.

"Ah, I'm Shuichi Saihara. I have a question about Danganronpa. Is it actually... real?" He asked with a mixture of worry and curiosity painted across his face. Hajime looked to his partners worriedly, getting a shrug from Nagito and a look of concern from Mikan.

"Hm, I don't know if we should answer that..." Hajime muttered, scratching the back of his head. Kokichi rolled his eyes, how dumb could this guy be?

"Nishishi! You just did. Yes, my dear Shuichi, it apparently is," Kokichi confirmed, getting a worried look from Hajime.

"Huh? How'd I confirm it if I never gave an answer?" Hajime asked, looking at the boy with confusion. Kokichi sighed loudly and looked at the male with a blank stare.

"By saying you don't know if you should say, you confirmed that it existed. If it hadn't existed you'd have little to no issue turning down the question, seeing as it could easily be played off as a lie told in the virtual world. But that isn't the case, is it? It exists, and by debunking it, you'd be lying. If someone were to expose that lie, that'd look bad on you, and possibly hinder some of our trust with you. And trust me, I can tell a lie from truth easy peasy. So you'd rather just avoid answering, huh? Huuuh? Did I get it right? Did I? Did I?" Kokichi pestered, watching as Hajime broke eye contact with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Danganronpa is real, it's just... not what they described in the VR. Team Danganronpa is not a television crew, instead, it's an organization who wants to follow in Junko Enoshima's footsteps and plunge the world into despair again. From what we understand they kidnapped up and coming ultimates who would attend the new Hope's Peak, you guys, and forced you into the killing game with an AI based on that of Junko Enoshima's AI. They named it Tsmugi, and she was made the mastermind of the killing game. They did broadcast the killing game to all of Japan, but Future Foundation was able to shut it down before it could reach too many people. We were able to track down where the broadcasting was coming from and we were sent here. No one was here when we arrived and we fear that if we were to send you out on your own once more you'd only get captured and placed through the killing game all over again. Hence why we're keeping you here in seclusion." Hinata explained, throwing the room into silence.

The tension was thick and no one wanted to speak, but Kokichi was just so... suspicious. Kokichi stood up, causing multiple eyes to fall on him. He narrowed his eyes at Hajime, looking at the boy with unmeasurable suspicion.

"And how do we know you aren't a part of Team Danganronpa?" He asked calmly, head tilted to the side curiously.

"H-Huh?" The question seemed to catch Hajime off-guard, not only him but everyone else too.

"Nyeeh, Ouma, don't cause another problem," Himiko complained, though her voice sounded unsure. Kokichi looked over at her with a smirk.

"I don't know what you're talking about dear Himiko." He shrugged, before blinking. turning his attention back towards Hajime. “Back to what I was saying, do you have any proof you aren’t Team Danganronpa? I mean, you took care of us, sure, and you claim you’re protecting us, but how do we know this isn’t just to plunge us into even more despair?” Kokichi asked, looking around at the confused faces, even Shuichi held a face of confusion. Kokichi sighed, pinching his nose in annoyance at the room’s occupants.

“Sorry, Shuichi, your thinking time is up! Guess I’ve gotta ruin this game of mystery too! You all can’t seem to figure it out! We all made it out of the killing game alive, correct? Yay, happy happy, we’re alive! But wouldn’t it be so upsetting if we were to go through that hell of a killing game again? Lucky for us, though, because by staying in this house, the probability of that happening is little to none. But... how despairing it would be if this was a false sanctuary! If when we believed we were at last safe, we weren’t. If as we were about to exit the mansion to go live in peace at Hope’s Peak, the doors were locked in front of us, and all we’re told is ‘Good luck on your next Killing Game!’ by those who were taking care of us! Wouldn’t that fill us with so much more despair if all of the assurance and happiness we built up in this mansion was crushed by those who saved us from the killing game if they were to force our hand in murder?” Kokichi explained, getting a collection of murmurs amongst the group. “You’ve noticed, haven’t you Shuichi?” He asked, turning towards the boy who looked up at his name being called.

Shuichi looked down in thought, before peeking up once more. “You mean the bedroom layout and some of the rooms which resemble the ultimate rooms in the game.” He pointed out, causing a grin to break out on Kokichi’s face.

”Ding ding ding! Good job, Ultimate Detective! ” He praised, spinning back around towards the panicked looking Hajime. “Why else would the house look this way? Well, what’s your defense?” Kokichi asked, a curious look on his face.

“We aren’t apart of Team Danganronpa. I don’t really know how to prove this, you just have to trust me.” He stated, earning a scoff from Kokichi.

”I don’t trust people, sorry.” He said with a shrug, a lazy smirk plastered across his face.

“I mean, he’s not completely wrong on the Team Danganronpa thing. We are the remnants of despair.” Nagito told Hajime, getting a glare from the male.

“We weren't supposed to tell them that! Especially not when trying to prove our innocence!” Hajime hissed at the boy, quieter than Nagito had spoken.

“Oh! What’s this? You’re remnants of despair? How interesting.” Kokichi quipped, a mischievous grin slipping onto his lips.

“Were, we were, we aren’t anymore. Look, we were placed in a virtual world like you by Future Foundation in an attempt to improve our mindset and eliminate despair. Something went wrong in the programming and an AI of Junko had taken control over the system, placing us into a killing game as well. We made it out though, and I managed to pull my friends out of a coma, much as we did for you. We’re alright now, though, our minds are in a better place. Besides, the house was built this way before we got here, but we have no idea why it looks like the killing game. Listen, I can’t force you to do anything, or think anyway, but please trust me when I say we are not your enemies." Hajime pleaded before turning towards Kokichi, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You, Kokichi Ouma, correct?”

“Yep!”

“You said you could tell when someone was lying, so tell me honestly, am I lying?” He asked, looking the male straight in his eyes.

Kokichi was about to respond, but he was cut off by Kaito. “Be honest, Kokichi,” Kaito commanded though it was more of a request. Kokichi tsked and looked back up to Hajime.

”Fine fine. No, sadly, you’re telling the truth.” He muttered, earning multiple sighs of relief throughout the room. He sat back down in defeat, and Hajime ran his hand through his hair.

“He reminds me of you,” Hajime told Nagito, getting a sheepish grin from the said male. “Ok, I think that’s enough questions for today. I got a box of items from your families and loved ones.”

This seemed to cheer up the sullen mood in the room, some even cheering happily. Hajime opened the box, beginning to call out names.

Miu got a toolbox from her dad with a note hidden inside it. She grinned brightly at whatever was written, cheering in slurs of fuck yeah’s.

Gonta got... well... no one fully knows. But he got something! He seemed content with the item.

Ryoma received something too, despite his motive video stating that he had no family for him. He received a tennis racket which was signed by his prison mates and a note was placed inside the holes of it, which he smiled lightly at.

Kaito got a miniature spaceship figurine, a few photographs, and letters from his grandparents. He claimed his tears were ones of manliness.

Kirumi received a framed medal and a note from high government officials which stated that she was relieved from her duties and thanking her for her service. It also stated that she should take a break which she laughed at.

Angie received a wooden box of paints, paint brushes, and notes which she claimed were ideas in case of artist block, though one looked almost identical to a letter wrapped in a yellow envelope. She seemed pleased with what she received.

Maki got a letter and some drawings from almost all of the kids and staff in the orphanage she was helping out. Who knew a heartless person could smile?

Kaede got a binder which was filled to the brim with sheet music for a piano. She was overjoyed and bouncing over Shuichi and Maki over how much music she’d play for them. She had received a letter as well but said she'd read it later in case she cried.

Shuichi got a hat, journal, and pen from his uncle; when he opened the empty journal, he was met with a long note covering the first 5 pages. He had also cried, but unlike Kaito, didn’t try to justify his tears.

Korekiyo received a pile of notes with a photograph of him and his sister tied to the top. Everyone complimented her and how pretty she was, making him smile. He too received a letter, but his reaction to it was unknown due to his faceguard.

Rantaro received a drawing and note from each of his siblings and his mother and father left him a sweet note as well. He looked as though he’d cry, but he didn’t.

Tenko received some ribbons for her hair and what she claimed was her favorite workout clothes. She, like almost everyone else, received a letter, which seemed to hype her up.

Himiko was given a deck of cards, which she stated was her favorite, and a stuffed animal white tiger. She claimed it was a replica of her pet tiger at home, but no one truly believed her. Except for Tenko. She was also given a letter from her mom, which she let out a happy 'nyeh' at.

Kiibo received a few extra parts from his inventor, a note which Kiibo claimed he would cry at if he had that function was pilled on top.

Kokichi was last. He walked up to the box and pulled out a neatly folded but tattered cape, a mask which he remembers designing like it was yesterday, and nine neatly wrapped notes with 11 photos, all tied neatly together by a purple string. He felt everyone's eyes staring into the back of his head, burning holes into him. He wished he was in solitude, so then he if he cried, it'd be without judgment.

But he wasn't.

So instead, as quick as he could, he grabbed the bundle and ran out of the room, hearing his name being called as he ran out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh this one is like 1,000 words longer than most of my chapters?
> 
> ANyways, I hope you liked it!! If something didn't make sense, feel free to ask in the comments bc this chapter was hard to put into words.
> 
> Thank you to every1 who went and liked my photos, some of yall are good artists like hecK!
> 
> See yall tomorrow unless smth happens!! bye <33


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi looks at his photos and letters.

Kokichi quickly locked the door behind him, and just in case, he placed his chair against his bathroom door handle to where it was unopenable. He walked back to his bed and untied the neatly put together bundle. He was sure Eimi did it, she always liked decorating and crafting. He took out the photos which sat neatly on top. A sad chuckle left his throat at the first one.

It was a group one, from when the group was in their third year of being on their own. He could tell because every member was present, minus one, but they didn't talk about him anymore. Kokichi had a school book and was attempting to teach the younger ones of the group physics. Mayumi kept falling asleep though, and Eimi was too busy doodling. Haru was the only one really paying attention. Kokichi was also seated by Sora and Itsuki who were trying to figure out the easiest way to teach the group. It was Fuyumi who took the photo seeing how Yuuto and Daiki were in the back fighting over a bowl of food.

Kokichi picked up the next photo, a loud laugh escaping him at this one. He never knew someone had taken a photo of this memory. If he had, he'd probably make them burn it, but now he held it close, laughing sorry laughs at said image.

It was one taken without his knowledge, Fuyumi, Mayumi, and Eimi were surrounding him hairbrushes and makeup in hand. Itsuki and Yuuto were behind the girls, fighting over what dress to put Kokichi in. Joji was holding all of the dresses. Sora and Haru were on the floor, laughing if Kokichi remembered correctly. That means Daiki took the photo... he'd have to thank and yell at him later. The reason he was cross-dressing was that he had lost a bet on their latest prank game, which meant he got the punishment of the winners choice, that being Fuyumi.

The rest of the nine photos were all of Kokichi with someone. The first was Kokichi and Mayumi competing in a video game competition, in which he lost. The second was him with Haru, designing their masks and helping each other out. The third was the boy and Eimi making flower crowns... or attempting in Kokichi's case; she was able to teach him though. The fourth was Sora and Kokichi taking a cheeky selfie, they both seemed happy. The fifth was Yuuto being yelled at by Kokichi for attempting to do a dangerous stunt. Yuuto was just smiling with a new band-aid across his cheek and another on his jaw. Kokichi and Fuyumi occupied the sixth, it was when the two were attempting to design the costume. The checkered bandana was always in the picture, but the color used to be black and the look switched a few times. The seventh was with Daiki, and it was Kokichi resting on the sleeping boy's stomach, they looked peaceful. The eight was with Joji and Kokichi laughing. Kokichi doesn't remember what Joji said, but it had him wheezing on the floor for air. Kokichi can't remember a time since he arrived here when he had laughed so hard; or a real laugh at that. The ninth was him and Itsuki, Kokichi didn't remember what happened, but Itsuki was holding him in a tight hug, comforting him. Truthfully, he did remember what had happened, he just didn't want to.

That was when the first tear had fallen. Kokichi was quick to wipe it, but as soon as he did, another one fell. He ignored them, letting them fall for the time being as he placed the pictures to the side of his bed. Kokichi grabbed at the stack of letters, which was probably a bad idea because if he wasn't crying at the photos, he'd soon be soon sobbing at the notes.

"Hey Kichi! Or should I call you boss? You better hurry back, it's too boring without you. Joji isn't making as many jokes, and Daiki even lost weight. Nevermind, maybe you should stay. I'm just kidding... everything seems duller than usual without you around. You found us, so you better take some responsibility soon and return to us. Itsuki isn't as good at teaching as you, nor is he as good at leading. So hurry back. We all miss you. See you soon, -Mayumi."

Mayumi was one of the last additions to his organization. She had been living with her neglectful father, but the adult had gotten into a car accident and passed away. To avoid adoption centers she had ran away, and Kokich just so happened to find her one day. The organization accepted her with open arms, but it took her a while to grow close to them, she was only close to Kokichi. She did grow to be apart of the family, though, but her bond would always be strongest with Kokichi. God, he missed her, and though she grew close to the others, she really could only open up her negative feelings to the leader; which made him worry about her current status. He felt his tears falling more now, his breathing grew more rapid. He tried to calm himself, he can't read the others if he was too busy crying, right?

After a few minutes, he opened next one, having calmed down enough.

"Hiya Kichi!! It's Eimi!! And Haru. We were told we could write you, but Itsuki is making us share for the message because the final message is-" The next part of the sentence was scribbled out, making Kokichi chuckle. "Sorry, Haru says it's a surprise. So when are you coming back?? It's been months! Please hurry back!! Haru says I sound too whiny, but I misss youu! Plus I need help with Algebra 2, this is Haru by the way. I hope you're having fun wherever you are, we weren't told much. I know that they said we would get a chance to visit at some point, but I don't know when. See you soon, though. Bye -Haru. P.S. He didn't even let me write more!! Hurry back so you can yell at him for me. Bye!! -Eimi"

Kokichi loved the siblings and their antics. He reread the part which informed him that they'd be allowed to visit at some point, a small smile breaking out onto his face as tears continued to stream down his cheeks. He set this note aside as well, unsure on if he could continue reading at the moment. He felt a sob escape his lips, and once that one had left him, more continued. It was basically impossible to stop, but he tried to muffle them when he heard the bathroom door open in the other room.

It was silent for a minute, only muffled sobs escaping every now and then. He heard footsteps approach his door after a while, a sudden knock making him jump.

"Ouma, can I come in?" Kaito called, but Kokichi didn't trust his voice enough to answer. Instead, he stayed still as he watched the door handle jiggle. He was able to here a semi-quiet 'how the hell did he lock a door with no lock' from Kaito.

"Kokichi, I know you're in there, if you don't open this door I will break it down." Kaito threatened. Kokichi honestly didn't doubt that, so he hesitantly got up and walked over to the door. He grabbed the chair and lifted it, placing it back by his desk before climbing back on his bed and curling up under the comforter.

"Last chan-" Kaito cut himself off as he turned the doorknob, opening the door with ease. He spotted the shaking bump under the bed sheets and walked over, light sobs becoming more audible as he made his way closer. "Hey... You ok?" He asked, taking a seat beside the lump. This seemed to only make Kokichi cry harder. Kaito silently cursed himself due to forgetting a simple rule; you shouldn't ask someone who's upset if they are alright.

Kaito rubbed what he guessed was Kokichi's back, attempting to comfort him. His eyes strayed to the photos of Kokichi. He looked so different, he looked so much happier. Kokichi looked as though he was an actual regular teen rather than an outcast. Kaito's eyes scanned over them, his eyes lingering on one of a male, only slightly older than him, hugging Kokichi in what seemed to be a comforting way. He looked back over at the sobbing bundle of sheets and tapped him lightly.

"Want a hug?" He offered, positive he'd be yelled at or turned down. Instead, Kokichi just emerged from the blankets, not making eye contact as he wrapped his arms around the startled male. Kaito wrapped his arms around the smaller shaking figure, holding him close and tight. The two stayed like this for a while, and eventually, Kokichi had stilled.

Kaito pulled back some to check if Kokichi was ok, but upon viewing his face, he realized that the smaller boy had fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a little bit of filler,, but I enjoy writing about Kokichi's past, whOOps  
> Thank you for reading!! <33


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi, Kaito, and Shuichi 'train'.

Kokichi opened his eyes slowly, shifting underneath the comforter. That was weird, he didn’t remember falling asleep under the bedsheets. He looked around, nothing seemed unnatural. Ah, except for the sleeping mass of flesh laying across the bottom of his bed.

Wait.

What?

He spun his head back towards the sleeping male, trying to connect the memories from before in his head.

Ah, right, Kaito had comforted him. His hugs reminded him of Itsuki's hugs. He looked around for his letters, a panicked rush coming over him when he couldn’t find them. His eyes scanned the bed, once, twice, too many to count. He still couldn’t spot anything from his friends, so he looked around his room.

A sigh of relief escaped him once he spotted them his desk, also finding his cape and pictures piled there as well. He pulled his blanket off of his legs, debating on whether or not to wake the male up.

He decided against it, seeing as Kaito seemed tired enough. The male also let Kokichi sleep when he fell asleep on him, so he saw no harm in leaving him alone. He instead got up and walked over to the photos piled on his desk. He picked them up and pulled open the drawer of his desk, luckily finding a roll of tape. He pulled out some pieces of tape, quietly hanging the photos along the wall of which his bed was against.

He heard shifting behind him as he was hanging up the final photos.

”Good morning. Or night?” Before Kaito could reply to Kokichi’s greeting, a knock rang through the room. Kokichi strolled over to the door, before remembering he hid his key. He was going to turn around to retrieve said item, but a sudden realization that Kaito was present prevented him from doing so. He sighed, and fished in his pocket, pulling out a bobby pin.

"One sec." He called to whoever was out there, tinkering with the lock before hearing a small click. He swung the door open, coming face to face, well sorta, he was quite short, with Shuichi. "Ah hello, dear Shuichi, what brings you to my room?" Kokichi asked, looking at the detective curiously. Shuichi looked at the boy, staring at him for a few seconds before replying.

"Did you wake up recently?" He asked, which received a grin from Kokichi.

"Ah! Good observation! But was that the only reason you came to my room?" He asked. Shuichi shook his head no, looking down the hall.

"Have you seen Kaito? We were supposed to do training, but I can't seem to find him, and he isn't in his room." Shuichi explained, turning back towards Kokichi.

"Ah, come on in." He said, stepping aside. Shuichi stepped it into Kokichi's room, looking at Kaito confused.

"What're you doing in here?"

"He was making mad love to me, Shuichi."

"What? No! I was just here to-" Kokichi spun around, giving Kaito a look which seemed to ask him to keep what happened a secret. "To talk until you arrived. That is what our training's gonna be today, talking. Speaking of training, where's Maki-roll?" Kaito asked. Shuichi walked over to Kaito, sitting beside him on the bed.

"She said she couldn't make it, she had a movie night planned with Kaede." He explained, resting back onto the bed. Kokichi strolled over and laid across his bed, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Well let's get this training over with, better not be boring." He complained, though honestly, he appreciated the company.

"Alright! So Kokichi, where'd you grow up?"

"Disney World."

"Come onn! Be honest." Kaito scolded.

"Why? Honesty is so boring. Everything is so boring when your reactions are predictable. So why not have a little fun?" Kokichi exclaimed, looking at Kaito with annoyance.

"How about we play a round of two truths one lie?" Shuichi suggested, looking at the other boys.

"Ah, you're so smart Shuichi! Just like my sidekick to come up with amazing ideas." Kaito complemented, getting a smile from Shuichi.

"Alright, I'll go first. One, I broke the biggest rule of my organization, which I created myself. Two, my favorite member of my organization is my best friend, Itsuki. Three, I know how to play the basics of 3 instruments." He offered, looking at the two boys who stared at him in thought.

"One! No, Three! No, uh Two?" Kaito asked, getting an eye roll from Kokichi.

"You're awful at this. Shuichi?"

"Ah, it's two isn't it?" He asked, receiving a pout from Kokichi.

"That's not fair! But it's true, I love all my members the same. All two million of them." Kokichi explained, hearing a small 'no that's wrong' from Shuichi. "This game's lame, let's play truth or truth, you have my word I'll answer honestly if you agree to." He offered, getting nods of agreements from the other two.

"I'll go first. Kokichi, what's the rule you broke?" Kaito asked, getting a hum of thought from Kokichi.

"I ran with scissors." He said with a shrug, getting a groan from Kaito.

"You said no lies."

"And it wasn't. You asked what rule I broke, and I answered. You should be more specific. Shuichi! What's your biggest fear?" Kokichi asked, looking over to the boy who looked down in thought.

"Probably death of loved ones and friends, although after the killing game, I think I am a tad bit more experienced." He muttered before turning is attention back towards Kokichi. "What's your biggest fear, Kokichi?" He asked, looking at the male who seemed to stiffen.

"What is this, interrogate Kokichi and allow him to ask a question every now and then?" He asked rolling his eyes and he relaxed into the bed. "Losing my loved ones. Kaito! Biggest fear?"

"Probably the same as you two, but including not being able to visit space," Kaito stated, rubbing the back of his neck with a little chuckle. "Sorry Kokichi, me and Shuichi have had time to bond, but I don't know much about you. What is the biggest rule of your organization that you broke?" Kaito asked, making Kokichi groan.

"Should've never said anything." He muttered, running a hand through his mess of hair, a sigh escaping his lips. "The most significant rule of our organization is no murder. But by participating in the killing game, I broke that rule." He explained, avoiding eye contact with either male.

"But you didn't murder anyone?" Shuichi asked, looking at Kokichi with a confused expression.

"That's where you're wrong my beloved Shuichi. I murdered not one person, but three. Miu, Gonta, and our dear friend, Kaito."

"You didn't kill any of those people Kokichi. Sure, what you did manipulating Gonta was wrong, but you didn't cause his death. It was a defense against Miu, who if you hadn't got Gonta to kill her, she would've murdered you. And I know for a fact that Gonta doesn't hold you accountable for his death, he forgave you after all. And as for me, I didn't even consider you causing my death. In fact, I died to my own illness, so don't you dare go and blame yourself for these deaths." Kaito scolded, getting a huff from Kokichi.

"But it is my fault, isn't it? As you said, if I hadn't gotten Gonta to murder her, then the two would've still been alive and I'd be dead. If I didn't make you murder me, then you would've been alive and alongside Shuichi to the end of the game." Kokichi explained, getting a sharp 'no' from Kaito.

"Kokichi, if Gonta hadn't killed Miu, then you and Miu would've died. Gonta being alive, though this is gonna sound harsh, wouldn't have helped us as much as you being alive had. You provided clues and hints leading towards the mastermind, and without them, we would've never survived. Gonta forgives you and I'm sure Miu knows you were just trying to survive. Kaito agreed to sacrifice himself to save Maki, and in the kindest way possible, he wouldn't have been helpful with how much time he had left to live. We needed you alive, you didn't murder anyone. You simply survived." Shuichi explained, looking at the boy who was biting his thumbnail as he thought.

"Here's my question for both of you. Do you two honestly forgive me and find the murders I committed justified. Even yours, Kaito? Again, we agreed for full honesty." Kokichi asked, looking up at the two with an earnest stare.

"Though it's hard to look past all of the trouble you caused me through the game, I understand why you did most of what you did. So yes, Kokichi, I forgive you, not just the murders, but everything. And I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way throughout knowing each other. I hope you can forgive me," Shuichi said with a smile, causing Kokichi to turn his gaze away from Shuichi.

"If you were to tell me I would be laying on your bed with you, talking about forgiveness and our feelings a week ago, I would have punched you in your jaw. But, times have changed, and I've grown to regret how I treated you. I forgave you when I claimed you as a friend. The real question is if you have forgiven me, and yourself." Kaito explained in a soft voice, watching Kokichi stare at his hands with a glare.

"I forgave everyone since I met them in the beginning, knowing that if I wanted to survive long enough to get everyone out, I had to protect myself. To do this, I built up a wall of lies, attempting to seclude myself from the group. It worked, I became a despised outcast, but I never blamed anyone for that. It was really only my fault. It took me way too long to realize that to guarantee your safety, I had to get rid of mine. It was a last minute decision, really. My only regret was not getting you, Shuichi, in on the plan, and not dying from the beginning. Oh, and dying without anyone genuinely caring, or liking me, but that one isn't as important" Kokichi explained in a lower voice, eyes not once leaving his intertwined hands. He looked up though, at the sullen faces of the two boys. "I guess in summary what I mean is, I've forgiven everyone since the beginning, but I just can't seem to forgive myself. Oh and Kaito, Shuichi? Thanks for forgiving me." He said, giving the two a small close-eyed smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO UPLOADS IN ONE DAY BC I FELT SO SUPPORTED I LOVE yOU GUYS TYMS AAAAA <3
> 
> ILYYY
> 
> HOPE U LiKE?


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth or dare is pretty fun.

Kaito and Shuichi stared at Kokichi with a gloomy look. Kokichi rolled his eyes, looking a the two with a sigh. "Come on, guys, cheer up. It's not that much of a big deal." He stated with a roll of his eye.

"Yes, it is Kokichi. You shouldn't hate yourself for wanting to help others while keeping yourself safe." Kaito muttered, clenching his fists to his side. Kokichi sighed, biting his thumb in thought.

"Look, you two can't force me to forgive myself, but I'll compromise. How about this. If I can ultimately get everyone to forgive me, then I will too." He offered. The two looked away in thought, before returning to his gaze.

"That sounds fair, Kokichi," Shuichi stated, looking down at the hand that the smaller boy held out. He took it and shook it, a smile playing his lips at the action. Kokichi turned to Kaito, offering him the hand. Kaito stared at it for a minute, making Kokichi wonder if he was going to accept to the terms, but he too eventually shook it.

"Wow! Never thought I'd have friends again." He stated, grinning happily. Shuichi smiled kindly back at him while Kaito grinned.

"Kokichi, who's your favorite out of both of us?" Kaito asked, making Kokichi hum in thought.

"Shuichi."

"What? Why?"

"Calm down, calm down! It's a lie! I like you both equally." He stated with a grin, watching Kaito visibly calm down.

"Kokichi, how much members does your organization really have?" Shuichi questioned, making Kokichi hum in thought. Be honest, or lie, be honest, or lie...

"Eleven, including me." Honest. Kaito seemed confused at this though, as his eyes fell over to the photos hung on his wall.

"What do you mean, I only counted nine people in total excluding you. Is there just a guy who doesn't like being seen?"

"No, that wouldn't be right. Kokichi's motive video would've shown all of the members. And there was only 10. So he may be lying? But why would he lie about one extra member?" Shuichi muttered, beginning on a silent rant near the end.

"I don't really like talking about member number eleven that much, so can we move on from it?" Kokichi asked, looking away from the group with a loud exhale from his nose.

"Huh- oh. Yeah sure." Shuichi agreed, smiling at the boy. "It's your turn to ask a question anyways."

"Hm, alright. One for both of you, can we make this less boring and play truth or dare?" He asked, looking at the males who shared a look, shrugged and nodded.   
  
"Good, I'll go first. Hm, Kaito, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Kaito said, ramming his fists together with a grin.

"Good, I'll go easy on you. Go convince a girl to do your make up."

"That's easy on me?" He asked getting up and walking out the door Kokichi had forgotten to relock. It was only around 15 minutes later when he returned with eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick on.

"Angie did it." He muttered, getting snickers from the two boys as he walked to the bathroom to wash it off.

"That explains why it looks so good. The ultimate artist did it."

"Shuichi truth or dare?" Kaito asked, looking over to the said boy who immediately responded with truth. "Alright, hmm. Do you have a crush on Kaede?"

"Ah, maybe at one point I did, but no. She's only a good friend." He explained with a fond smile. Kokichi liked Shuichi's smile, it made him want to smile as well. But that'd be gay. Plus he wasn't one to really smile for no reason, so he just kept a blank face. "Kokichi, truth or dare?"

"Hmm, Truth."

"What were you doing with those cleaning supplies this morning?" He asked, looking at him with a curious gaze. This seemed to get Kaito's attention as well, seeing as he also looked at him curiously.

"Cleaning, if you want more specific answers then ask more specific questions, my dear beloved." He said with a grin at Shuichi's disappointed face. "Kaito truth or dare."

"Truth. I don't trust you with dares anymore." He muttered, a pout formed on his face. Kokichi snickered, looking at him with a hum.

"Alright. What're your feelings towards dear Harukawa?" He asked, watching the male think with curiosity.

"Ah, well I'd have to say it's like Shuichi and Kaede. We may have had feelings for each other at some point, but I honestly think she's growing to like Kaede. That's ok with me though, I'd rather we just be friends." He said with a triumphant smile. Kokichi exhaled lightly as Kaito turned his attention back towards him. "Kokichi truth or dare?"

"I'm not a pansy. Dare." He said with a shrug. Kaito tapped his chin in thought, before looking at Shuichi.

"Keep a straight face." He told him before turning back towards Kokichi. "I'll go easy on you, make both of us smile, your round isn't over until you succeed." He explained, before also putting on a poker face. Kokichi hummed in thought, before standing up and walking over to his cape. He unfolded it, only to find his hat and photo placed inside the hat. He picked the photo up with a confused look before a grin broke out on his face. There goes his plan with the cape, this photo was perfect. He strolled back over, photo in hand. "Alright, I'll make you laugh, but be honest with yourself. Would you go out with this beaut?" He asked, sliding the photo in between the two. They looked down at it before bursting out laughing.

"Oh God, Kokichi, Is that you?" Shuichi asked between laughs, causing the boy to smile happily.

"Sure is, aren't I hot?" He asked, looking at the photo himself. It was from the time he had to cross-dress. He had his make up done, and his hair was pulled into pigtails. He was also wearing a lavender mini dress which reached his knees. Itsuki had chosen it. In the photo he was lounging on the ground, winking at the camera with finger guns and a kissy face. He should've known he'd be tormented with this photo, as he basically has been his whole life.

"You win," Kaito whined, taking a deep breath from laughing, smile still plastered on his face. "I need copies of this." He stated, snatching the photo before Kokichi could protest. "Your turn for truth or dare." He pointed out, Kokichi pouting since he knew he was powerless against Kaito stealing his photo.

"Fine... Shuichi."

"Hmm, Dare. Why not?" He asked, causing Kokichi to stand up.

"Follow me," He cooed, the two getting up and following him. Kokichi looked down the hall before turning to Shuichi. "Do cartwheels down the hall," Kokichi commanded, getting a frightened look from Shuichi.

"I can't cartwheel." He complained, receiving a shrug from Kokichi.

"You can try!" With that response, Shuichi wandered reluctantly down the hall. He sure did attempt to do cartwheels, but he failed horribly. As the group walked back into the room, Shuichi could only complain about how much his body hurt.

"Kokichi, truth or dare?" He asked as he collapsed back onto the bed. The boy followed suit after him, followed by Kaito.

"Dare." He said, knowing if he chose truth then he'd be asked a prying question.

"Pretend to beg Kaito not to leave you," Shuichi commanded after a few seconds of thought. Kokichi shrugged and turned to the male, tears already building up in his eyes.

"Please Kaito, don't leave me! I-I don't know what I'd do without you! I- Please!" He sobbed, gripping onto the male's arm. "Please! I- think of my feelings too! If you left me- I'd- I'd be all alone! God, I'd probably kill myself." He wailed, burying his face into the worried male's arm. Despite Kaito knowing it was fake, he felt a sinking pit in his stomach as he patted the male's hair.

"Guess I gotta stay now." Kaito joked, watching as Kokichi pulled his face away from his sleeve. His face looked as though nothing had happened, as though he wasn't balling his eyes out. Kaito was extremely confused at how he did this.

"Wow! I haven't fake cried in days!" Kokichi cheered, looking at Shuichi's face which was mixed between worry and being impressed. "Kaito! Truth or dare?"

"I would say dare, because I'm not a wuss, but you'd just make me give you your photo back-"

"Damn it-"

"So truth."

"You're lame, I dare you to tell me something most people don't know," Kokichi stated, despite the boy picking truth. Kaito groaned and sat in silence for a few minutes before looking awkwardly to the side.

"I use to be a bully." He said while scratching his head. "Back in middle school, I bullied the hell out of people, putting them down and all that. One day, this guy committed suicide. I know I played a part in it. I just bullied him while he was already under so much pressure and stress and dealing with problems at home. Honestly, I had a feeling he was going through stuff, I just didn't care. After he died though, it was sorta like a turning point for me. I didn't want to push people to that point anymore, so instead, I became the opposite of what I was. I even stood up to bullies and protected people. It- It was a nice change." He explained, looking at the boy, who stared at him in complete silence.

"I guess we're all holding some baggage. What about you Shuichi-" The two looked over to the boy, but he was laying on the bed, asleep. Kokichi only smiled lightly, turning back towards Kaito. "I'm glad you learned from your mistake and fixed yourself. You've affected a lot of people here, and I'm sure you changed for the better." He said kindly, before laying his head down finding himself parallel to Shuichi's body. "Let's have a sleepover, I'm tired too." He said, looking a the boy with a smile. Kaito nodded with a small smile, laying down as well. "G'night." Kokichi murmured, his eyes slowly closing until all he saw was black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ily all
> 
> i feel like i have more to say but i cant think of anything
> 
> also
> 
> i love everyone's comments, they made me smile and laugh :) so ty!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heard y'all like fluff? I tried??

Kokichi awoke engulfed in warmth, the prior memories of the night before hazy. He peeled open his eyes, flustered to find not only one arm but two arms slung over him. He looked towards the bodies they belonged to and spotted Kaito, who was snoring up a storm, at his right. He dragged his eyes to the left side of him, spotting Shuichi, who looked peaceful as hell, with his arm drapped around him. He felt his breathing speed up slightly, heat rising to his face as he silently questioned what to do. He could move, but he was quite content with the position he was in.

Wait, that sounded weird. He ignored his strange thoughts and attempted to move over, only to be pulled closer towards Kaito and for Shuichi to shift over with them. Kokichi let a light exhale of annoyance leave his lips and rolled his eyes. He eventually gave up and closed his eyes, shifting until he was in a comfy position between the two before falling back asleep.

He later woke to the sound of light chatter, peeking his eyes open to find Kaito and Shuichi laying on the bed like a couple of teen girls. He could've sworn he even saw Kaito kicking his legs excitedly at one point. Kokichi just let out a small groan and slung an arm over his eyes, quick to notice the chattering cease.

"Morning, sleepy head," Kaito called, watching as Kokichi peeked up at him from under his arm.

"Morning." Was the only response he received as he watched Kokichi sit up and stretch. Kokichi flipped himself onto his stomach, looking at the two males curiously. "What're we talking about?" Kokichi asked, wiping his eyes, stifling a small yawn.

"Getting food once you woke up. Wanna join us?" Shuichi asked, sitting up, Kaito following after, sitting up himself. Kokichi grinned, pushing himself up with newfound energy at the promise of food.

"It's a date." He joked, getting a kind smile from Shuichi and a grin from Kaito. They both looked slightly pink at his joke, huh, that's odd. "Come on! I'm hungry." He complained as the two walked over, before hooking his arms with theirs and pulling them along. The pair seemed to struggle to keep up with him, but they managed. Kokichi opened the door to the kitchen, finding Kirumi over the stove with pancake batter to the right of her, and a plate and spatula in front of her.

"Hey, mom! Can you make some more for me and Shuichi and Kaito?" He asked, skipping over to her side with a pleading look.

"Of course. Kokichi. It'll be done in around 15 minutes." Kirumi replied, receiving thanks from each of the three males. Kokichi skipped back to the boys who were now seated at the island, taking a seat across from them with a curious look. "What now?" He asked, receiving a shrug from Shuichi as Kaito looked away in thought.

"Let's talk about what we like?" Kaito offered, getting a nod of agreement from the two.

"I've got nothing better to do. Go ahead Kaito, why is space so appealing to you?" Kokichi asked, leaning on his hand, watching the boy curiously.

"There's so much! The thrill of adventure into the unknown, the beauty of space, the idea of being places no one's ever been! God, it's so exciting! I can't wait to be a part of that one day, I can't wait to mean something to the world. I'm gonna go down in history, and even if I don't I'll at least be seen as a success to those around me." He cheered. Kokichi watched with a smile on his face due to the way Kaito expressed himself with his hand movements and how happy he got. It was nice to see the male excited, that's all.

"What about you Shuichi, what do you like about being a detective?" Kaito asked, turning to said boy who was also staring at Kaito curiously.

"Ah- me? Well... I don't exactly like being a detective, but I do like the investigation part. Finding all of the puzzle pieces and placing them in a specific order until it all comes together into the perfect story is always pleasing. I also enjoy helping out others, promising them the truth and being able to provide it always feels nice." He explained; a hand pressed gently over his heart with a bright smile occupying his face.

Did Kokichi even have to say it? He adored Shuichi's smiles, it was almost as if someone lit a fire inside his body, melting him from the inside out. He was brought back to his attention when he heard Shuichi calling his name.

"Kokichi, what do you like about being a Supreme Leader?"

"The pranks, and how much fun we have pulling them." He said with a grin. "God, we played some good pranks, one time we dressed Yuuto up as a girl and made him seduce this guy to get the older male to leave this younger girl he was harassing alone. God, his face was hilarious whenever Yuuto revealed his actual gender to the guy. Oh! And one time we pulled this prank on these people who had left their dog tied to a tree, we figured out where they lived, and printed as much photos and signs that said 'We abandoned our dog! Feel free to criticize us!' God, I think they even got the police called on them. We did help the dog, though. It went to this animal shelter and even got adopted. We had to research a little to find a good one." Kokichi said, grinning widely at the memory. He planted his hand which he hadn't known he moved and looked at the two who were staring at him with a smile.

"So you prank people with your followers- er friends?" Kaito asked, getting a nod from Kokichi.

"Yep."

"But only those who deserve it?" Shuichi asked, still staring at the male with a soft expression.

"Mostly, we sometimes do harmless ones on small shop owners, offering them some money for bothering them which we take from those who deserve it, or won't miss it," Kokichi explained with a tilt of his head. "We don't exactly make much money from being an organization that pranks people, after all." He explained with a shrug. The two just stared at him with a dumbfounded look, only breaking eye contact when a plate of pancakes and syrup was placed in front of them. Kokichi grinned and got up, skipping over to the fridge and grabbing a grape Panta.

"You're really gonna drink that at breakfast?" Kaito asked, watching Kokichi down some of the drink and shove some pancakes, which were covered densely with syrup, into his mouth.

"Mhm." He hummed chewing best he could. Shuichi just chuckled lightly, taking a small bite of his food.

The two finished their meal in a little less than 20 minutes, Shuichi being a surprisingly slow eater.

"As much as I would love to stay and chat, I need Angie's help with something," Kokichi explained, skipping out of the room with a wave. "See ya!" He called as he rushed out, leaving the two watching him leave with a confused expression.

Kokichi slowed down as he made it to the art room, spotting Angie... finger painting? He knocked at the door, stepping back as it swung open after a few seconds. "Ah, Kokichi! Welcome welcome! It is alright if I call you Kokichi, yes yes?"

Kokichi hummed in thought. "Yeah, I have no problem with it! Come on! You wanna help me paint, right? Riigghhtt?" Kokichi asked, a nod coming from Angie who held a bright smile. "Alright, come with me! Grab whatever you think you'd need for painting." He said, watching her walk into the room, only to return a few minutes later with a bag of items.

"Alright! Follow me!"

And they set off towards his secret room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another double upload just bc I like reading the comments when I wake up. It makes my day start off strong and happy :)) Maybe a little worse quality bc I am tired, it's like 3 am where I live whOOPS. <33


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi needs some space.

Kokichi and Angie arrived at the cracked hall, he watched from the corner of his eye as she looked around. He continued down the hall until he reached a particular door, a small smile painting his face at the thought of being alone.

"Ah, could you paint this, so it stands out from the others? Also, remember this place is a secret!" He whispered, spinning around and getting a thumbs up from Angie. He wasn't too worried about it if she went and blabbed, no one could really get into the stairwell anyway.

"Yes Yes! But I cannot paint to my best abilities unless you are gone!" She replied, watching Ouma fish out a bobby pin and a flashlight he must have taken from somewhere.

"Mhm, so I'll be going! See ya later!" He said with a wave as he unlocked the door, pushing the cans of paint out but leaving one and some tools he grabbed yesterday behind with him. He closed the door behind him, locking it quickly and started up the stairs with the supplies. He felt weighed down, more than usual. He didn't know why, though.

Perhaps all of the human interaction was wearing him down. Yeah... that must be it. He started into speed up, a feeling of worry washing over him. What was he worried about? He shook his head and unlocked the door, slipping through and locking it back quickly. A sigh of relief had escaped his lips at the absolute silence, but he could still hear the thumping of his heart in his ears. He grabbed his bucket and flashlight, walking quickly away from the door.

He began laying down the tarp he had bunched up in his pan in which he was going to pour the paint. It covered some of the floor... better than none at least. He grabbed the cleaned paint brush Angie had offered him yesterday and placed it on the tarp beside him.

Hm... that's weird. The paint can has been opened before. I mean, less struggle for him because he'd have to go back down and ask Angie to help him open it. It was just a strange thing to notice though. It was probably just open due to Angie probably painting with it before. He shook his head to dismiss his thoughts, opening the seal wrapped around the can and pouring the thick liquid into the pan.

Kokichi dipped his brush into the gold paint, before placing it experimentally on the wall and beginning to paint vertical streaks. Lucky for him, the sun was high enough in the sky to where he could see how it looked when the light hit it.

It was beautiful. He smiled lightly, but despite how much peace painting the hall was bringing him, he couldn't help but feel unease. He hated not knowing why. He continued with his verticle streaks to attempt to calm him, but his mind continued racing for a conclusion.

Did he forget to do something? Did he leave something on? Was it due to Kaito and Shuichi?

He chose to explore that belief, continuing with deep, calming breaths. Shuichi and Kaito, that seemed to be it, but why was he panicking? Perhaps because they seem to be growing closer? Maybe because he feels wrong about their friendship? Because he was scared of them? These all seemed accurate to him.

He was afraid they'd abandon him, or that they actually hate him. What if he opens up too much... they may come to hate him. He didn't want to be betrayed, or backstabbed. He knew they weren't in the killing game anymore, but murder still exists. What if all of their encounters were fake? What if it were all a cruel joke against him? He didn't want them close to him anymore. He didn't want more friends. He didn't. He didn't. He didn't. He didn't. He didn't-

He needed to calm down.

He felt anxiety pricking at his chest as he grabbed at it tightly. A hand also flew up to his cheeks, wiping at tears he hadn't known had fallen. He looked around, his vision seems to have gone black for a second, spotting his fallen paintbrush by his feet. He blinked and bent down, wiping his eyes once more as he picked it up with shaky hands.

Why was he getting so worked up? All he had to do to feel better was get them to hate him. That should be... easy. He nodded to himself, deciding that's what he'd do. He didn't want to feel anxious anymore. He dipped the paintbrush in the paint once more, planning out how to get the two males to hate him. He'll know he's succeeded with Kaito once the man causes him any sort of physical harm... but he's never really succeeded at getting to Shuichi's boiling point. He was somewhat curious to see it... and somewhat scared. Kokichi looked at the small portion of the wall that he had painted, feeling slightly disappointed at how insignificant it was. He supposed it took time and continued on with the task.

Upon finishing both walls with the first layer of paint, the sun seemed to be beginning to set. Kokichi was laying on the tarp, sighing in relief. A pang struck his heart at the thought of bitter truth that he’d be friendless once more. He didn’t know whether it was of sadness or of anxiety.

Kokichi pushed himself up and grabbed the flashlight. Might as well investigate what’s at the end of one of these halls today. He walked down the painted hall towards where it took a right, finding a dark hallway. He clicked on the flashlight, squinting as he walked down the hallway. The first door he came across was on his left. He tried the doorknob but found it locked. With an annoyed sigh, he once again pulled out the trusty bobby pin from his pocket and inserted it into the lock.

After messing with the lock and hearing it click open, he opened it slowly. He felt the wall for a light switch, surprisingly finding one. Upon turning on the light he found himself in a planetarium sort of room with the walls painted as though they were a galaxy and the ceiling looked as though he were looking straight into space. Some of the lights were scattered along the wall and ceiling like Christmas lights disguised as stars. There were a few equipment pieces for exercising and a few other things occupying the room.

This must have been a room for the ultimate astronaut. It was honestly beautiful, he could see why Kaito likes space.

Oh, right. Kaito.

A sour taste found its way into Kokichi’s mouth and the pit in his stomach returned as he turned off the lights and closed the door.

He doesn’t need friends. He never has. He has other ones, after all. Yeah...

Kokichi nodded to himself with reassurance, beginning down the hallway once more. He came across another room, and upon unlocking it found himself in a music room of sorts. Every instrument ever seemed to be found there, along with sheet music and other useful tools. Kokichi walked into the room, browsing the instruments. Although he only knew how to play one instrument decently, he did know the basics for the guitar, thanks to Sora who learned it in middle school band and taught him, the piano, due to Mayumi who also knew the basics, and the trombone after he and Yuuto wanted to recreate a video with a stove and trombone. He did have to learn to play an instrument in 6th grade. He chose the flute, it always looked interesting to him. He was able to find the said instrument in a case which was pilled against the wall, a binder of sheet music underneath. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't a prodigy, not even great, but he was decent and it was a way to pass time. So Kokichi grabbed the instrument and the binder of music and walked out of the room.

He sighed, an overwhelming amount of dreariness overcoming him. He wandered out of the hall to the main clean one, not really feeling like walking down to his room with a possibility of facing Kaito. He sighed snuggling his face into his arms as he laid on the ground, exhaling lightly.

And he slowly drifted into a bad dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi it was brought to my attention that I was rushing the relationship, and I 100% agreed with that statement. I wanted to slow it down,,, but I kinda ended up destroying it :)) i have an enormous love for angst im srry
> 
> Ty for the critique it really helps!!
> 
> HAppy new year! SOrry if it's a little late :((
> 
> Edit: i got like a super big fear that I may have just ruined it for everyone but please hang on it’ll get better oh b o y im axious
> 
> Me too kokichi me too


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi is hungry.

Kokichi had slept on the ground a plethora of times. In fact, he had slept on the cold floor so much that he had grown quite used to the idea. Yet, as he awoke to gleams of light from moon rays on his face, he felt his body ache in protest. This must have been due to his growing used to sleeping on a bed, or just not sleeping. He supposed he wasn't as used to the sleeping on the floor as he once was.

Kokichi picked himself up and walked to the window, peering out at the moon. What time was it? He didn't know, nor did he have a way of knowing currently. He picked himself up, a sharp pain occupying his stomach where food should be. A frown made its way onto his face as he pressed the body part in an attempt to lighten the pain. It somewhat helped, but for the pain to entirely cease, he'd require food.

So, he started toward the kitchen. He had to bring his flashlight along as he found all of the lights in the halls were out. Or, at least he thought they were, the usual light he saw at the end of the hall, behind the rubble, was no longer there. He shined his flashlight upon the fallen rocks and around the bottom corner. The rocks gave way with ease as he pushed on them and he slipped through the hole. He hissed in pain as his hand scraped against a grey piece of rubble when he pushed himself through. He shone the small ray of light on it, a frown forming on his face at the blood which began to puddle in his hand.

Despite the sharp pain in his hand, he pushed the rocks back as best he could and continued down to the kitchen, clenching his fist in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It hardly helped and only seemed to worsen the sting. "God damn it." He muttered, pushing the kitchen door open and flicking the light switch to the room. He hurried over to the sink, placing his hand under the water only to jerk it away at the pain it brought. He placed it hesitantly back under, gripping the counter's edge to help soothe himself. After a few minutes, the pain shifted to an annoying sting and he pulled it out. No way is he putting soap on it.

He wandered over to a knife set and found a pair of shears, grabbing them without a second thought. He grabbed at a dangling strand of cloth with a buckle on it which was attached to his uniform and cut it, grabbing the now severed cloth and wrapping it tightly around his wound. It'll hold until the morning. He stared blankly at the blood which lightly soaked through the cloth. Not enough for him to worry. He wandered towards the fridge, finding a variety of leftovers. He grabbed a random container and walked over to the microwave, peeling off the top of the container and putting the dish in the device. He took a small look at the built-in clock which read 4:34. He might as well stay up. He punched in a few numbers before letting the microwave run. He sat at the island and let the microwave continue, jumping in slight alarm at the beep.

Kokichi grabbed the meal, which was now too hot to eat, some utensils, and a purple Panta. He'd never grow tired of the drink, plus it managed to give him some energy. He took the meal, which he was carrying with a rag in case he'd get burnt, his soda, and his flashlight, which was held between his teeth, and walked out of the room after he turned off the light. As he wandered down the hallways, he noticed a strange source of light coming from somewhere. Curiosity taking over him, he began towards said light.

To be honest, he wasn't surprised. The light led to a workroom, which resembled that of which an ultimate inventor would occupy. And said inventor currently was occupying it, tinkering away at an unknown device. Kokichi exhaled as much as he could with the flashlight blocking his mouth and opened the door which was, unsurprisingly, unlocked.

Miu hadn't seemed to take notice of him, as her back was to him, so he took the moment to place down his food and flashlight quietly. He strolled silently behind where she worked on an island, a small grin spreading across his face. "Whatchu doing?" He asked suddenly, breaking the sudden silence aside from the whirling of her tools.

"What the fuck!" She screamed, dropping her tool and jumping back in alarm. "What the hell are you doing in here, asshole?"She cried in alarm, grabbing her chest tightly.

"Had to figure out what kinda animal died, but turns out it's just you. God when was the last time you showered?" He asked, pinching his nose to emphasize his point. She honestly didn't smell that bad; she only looked as though she hadn't showered in days.

"O-only about a week!" She said, sniffing her clothes with a worried look.

"Wow! A week! No one would ever love a girl who can't even shower regularly. Bet you haven't even changed those clothes once in that week, huh? And when was the last time you slept, you look like a walking corpse." Kokichi insulted, looking at his hand uninterested.

"Two hours ago!" She said, somewhat triumphantly.

"How long did you sleep two hours ago?"

"Thirty minutes..." Kokichi stared at her with a knowing and annoyed look. "Fine! Fifteen." She admitted, receiving a scoff from the smaller boy.

"God Iruma! You're not only useless to the guys who fuck you, but to yourself too!"

"F-fuck you!" She responded. It was easy to tell Kokichi's words were impacting her somewhat.

"Have you even ate anything today?" Kokichi asked, glaring at her.

"Yes!"

"When and what?"

"I had a protein bar around lunch." She muttered, toying with a piece of her hair.

"God, you're like a baby who needs someone to take care of them. Betcha get off on people babying and taking care of you, huh?" He asked, walking over to where he had set his food.

"N-No!" She cried out, only receiving an eye roll from Kokichi.

"Yeah yeah! Sure! I believe you! But how about you prove it by eating this," he slid the now cooler food and Panta in front of her, "Showering, and sleeping for once in your life." He commanded, watching Miu nod her head in defeat. "Good, I'd hoped a teenager would know how to not be treated like a baby. I hope the saying 'You can't teach an old bitch new tricks' isn't true or else you're screwed. And not how you want to be. Brush your teeth too, your breath stinks." He called as he walked out, slamming the door closed behind him. He pulled his flashlight out of his pocket, where he placed it when he went to retrieve the food he gave to Miu and walked back to the kitchen.

He fished out another container of leftovers and began heating the meal. He opened it a second before the beep and checked the time. 4:57. He would usually be waking up soon. He took the meal out, it felt slightly colder than it should but he ignored it, eating it anyway. He, like sleeping on the ground, was used to the idea of a cold meal. He finished the meal and scrubbed the dish clean in under 20 minutes. Kokichi began to walk out of the kitchen and towards his room, no longer needing the flashlight due to the hallway lights now being on. He guessed they had a timer set for 5. He took a quick detour by the inventor's lab, relieved to find it empty, before continuing towards his room.

Upon arriving at his room, he found the door unlocked. What was he thinking? He opened the door quickly, rushing to grab the key, and relocking the door. He walked over towards the bathroom door curiously, and to his surprise, found a hole for a key underneath. He tried his room key in the hole, relieved to find it locked. That's one less thing to worry about. He hid his key once more and strolled over to his messy bed, finding it harder to swallow at the memory of just the night before.

They're growing too close. He could stop that. He would stop it. He fixed the mess on his bed before laying on the sheets. What gets to Kaito? Insulting him? Yeah. His friends? Double yeah. Things he likes? You know what, he's the easy one. What about Shuichi? He would be a problem. Kokichi, despite his claim that he'd stay awake, felt his eyes slowly closing. Once again, everything was black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HHhi 
> 
> it's 2019
> 
> School continues tomorrow so I will try my best to get an update done daily, but it may be slightly harder! I'm also the stage manager for my school's musical, but I'll make time for this as best as I can!!
> 
> So don't be too worried about it :))
> 
> this is also delayed bc I was binge reading You're a Troublemaker by Greedy_Queen and now I'm sobbing  
> ty very much also if you want me to read ur fic please tell me bc im want more fanfics yes
> 
> :)) thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!! Feel free to leave critique!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi wanders and encounters some people.

Kokichi yawned, peeling open his eyes as he sat up, rubbing his eyes wearily. He pushed himself up off his bed stretching with a sigh of relief, finding himself grabbing his key and entering the bathroom after unlocking the room. He looked in the mirror at his tired eyes and his messy hair. Kokichi spotted small shimmers of gold paint on his face and hands and sighed, finding his eyes trailing towards the shower behind him. Alright, a shower it was.

Upon finishing and preparing for the day, Kokichi scurried out of his room and closed the door behind him, locking it and slipping the key in its usual spot. Kokichi looked at the envelopes he held in his hand with a small smile, before storing them in his pocket for safekeeping. Kokichi closed his eyes, walking down the passageway with a sigh. It was quite peaceful, but that seemed to change as he rounded a corner, peeking his eye open. Alas, he encountered a figure rounding at the same time, only narrowly managing to avoid a collision.

"Ah! Gonta sorry! Gonta no see Kokichi." Gonta explained, looking at the smaller boy apologetically. Kokichi smiled at Gonta, hiding the fact that he was currently experiencing an intense fight or flight urge. More specifically flight.

"It's alright, Gonta, see ya!" He hurriedly excused, spinning away from the larger male and beginning to speed walk away.

"Ah wait- Kokichi!" Gonta called out after him, causing Kokichi- despite his want to flee- to spin around and look at the male curiously. "Is Gonta- Does Kokichi hate Gonta?" He asked, looking at the male with a sad stare, making Kokichi's heart drop.

"Hm? Where'd you get that dumb idea?" He asked, looking confusedly at the taller male.

"The others say you just use Gonta for selfish reasons. That you no like Gonta really. That you no think of Gonta as a friend." Gonta explained, making Kokichi frown. It did come off that way, huh? Gonta was too oblivious for his own good. Kokichi took slow steps to the larger male, suppressing his shaking nerves.

"I guess I did kinda use you in the game, hm? I imagine that would come across as me disliking you." He said with a lazy smile and a shrug. Gonta looked saddened by this statement but nodded nonetheless, turning around to begin walking away. "But that doesn't mean I didn't like you," Kokichi added quickly. "In fact, it'd make more sense for you to hate me. I was the one who put you against the others and ultimately caused your death. I have no reason to hate you, to be honest. You spent time with me and went along with my plans, even if I did have to trick you. So, of course, I don't dislike you. Instead, I'd say I liked you- er, like yo. Your company was nice!" He praised with a grin, receiving a smile from Gonta. Gonta enveloped the male in a bone-crushing hug.

"So you no hate Gonta? Gonta is happy. Gonta no hate Kokichi either!" He said happily, as Kokichi gave up squirming in his grip. He eventually put Kokichi back on the ground and walked off with a wave. Kokichi waved back, unanswered questions running through his head. Why didn't he hate him? He should. There are so many reasons to.

He didn't ask him though. He didn't want to drag down Gonta or make him actually hate him. Besides, he did promise Kaito he'd try to improve. Just because they were, once again, soon to be enemies didn't mean he'd break a promise. Besides, he needed to forgive himself. Kokichi continued on towards a specific destination. If he was right then- yep. He spotted Miu back at working on a device of sorts. He'd deal with her in a sec.

Kokichi arrived at the kitchen, swinging open the door and spotting Kirumi pouring bowls of cereal for some occupants of the room. That would be Rantaro, Kiibo, Kaede, and Maki.

"Mooom! Can you make me a bowl?" He questioned, skipping over to her side.

"Of course. What type would you like, Kokichi?" She asked, walking over towards a cabinet which held various boxes of cereal. Kokichi peered at the box and pulled out one that looked the healthiest.

"This'll do." He stated, passing it to the lady who held out a hand, accepting the cardboard box. She merely looked at it and nodded, pouring the meal into a bowl and adding milk and a spoon. Kokichi took the meal and hurried out of the room with a 'thanks'.

"Have you ate?" He asked, kicking open the door to Miu's lab, earning an alarmed shriek.

"What!?"

"Have you eaten since earlier this morning?"

"N-no! What the fuck are doing here?" She asked suspiciously, leaning on her desk to regain composure. Kokichi walked over and handed her the bowl.

"First, eat, secondly, I want you to make me something," He said, picking himself up and seating himself along the countertop.

"And what's that?" She asked, looking at him curiously as she began eating the meal. "What brand is this? It's fuckin' good." She praised between bites.

"Dunno, I chose the healthiest looking box. Anyways, make me a phone, or some way to contact the outside world. Or at least some way to listen to music." He commanded, looking at the girl with a bored stare. "You can make that, right?" He asked, a small smirk playing at his lips.

"Huh? Are you doubting my genius? On something that I could recreate with my eyes closed?" She asked, sounding somewhat offended. Kokichi shrugged innocently.

"I guess we'll see if you can live up to those words." He stated casually, standing up and walking towards the door.

"I'll make you the best fucking phone you've ever seen dickhead!" He heard Miu call as he walked out. He didn't doubt her words at all. He smiled slightly to himself and wandered down the hall once more. Where to go now?

Kokichi found himself wandering hallways aimlessly, humming a small tune he had remembered out of nowhere. Movement in the corner of his eye caused him to stare down a hall at a pair who was chatting quietly.

Oh.

No thanks. He hurried away from Kaito and Shuichi, only to run into some new faces.

"Watch where you're going. We don't have time to deal with any interruptions." A tall blonde man with piercing blue eyes complained as he looked down at the purple haired gremlin.

"Whoa! Who stuck a stick up your ass?" Kokichi asked, which earned a snicker from his two companions. Kokichi examined the two standing beside him. One was a male, not much taller than him with brown hair with one piece that spiked up. He wore a black suit much like the blonde male. The other was a tan-skinned girl with brown hair tied up in what looked like a ponytail. She also wore a black dress suit.

"Come on, I found Hajime." A voice called from behind him. He turned around and spotted a lilac-haired girl with purple eyes walking down the hallway, wearing the same attire. Kokichi watched the girl with a curious look before feeling a surge of anxiety course through him. Shuichi and Kaito seemed to be walking down the hallway towards him. He sprung up and sprinted away, hearing the two calling after him. He took a few sharp turns and found himself at a familiar hallway. He ran down to the final door of the hall and unlocked the stairwell, slipping in quietly. He didn't even get a chance to look at the artwork on the door, bummer. He closed the door behind him and heard the footsteps which followed after him fade down another hall. Why're they so dead set on following him?

He did really want to see what Angie did to the door though, so he opened it once more and walked out. He looked at the door with a small smile. It had his name on it and what looked like a red carpet going across the door. There was a pair of dice going which seemed to be rolled down the carpet. The background of the door was painted black with white dots of stars. Aside from the black background, there was also a variety of board game and game pieces. Such as a chess board and a king chess piece, as well as cards like the king of hearts, king of spades, king of clubs, and king of diamonds. There were checker pieces and other notable board game items. His name was written in a fancy blocky font and the O for Ouma had a crown around it and resembled a mask of sorts. He liked it. That was an understatement of course.

"Kokichi!" A voice shouted, causing his head to spin to the side. He spotted a figure at the end of the hallway, slowly growing closer.

**Shit.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! It's been kinda a while.
> 
> I've been sick and busy with school so uploads are a little slower? Also, I may be working on another story idea?? Sure it is majorly inspired by an AU on Tumblr which I am 100% giving all the credit, but I do wanna change some things around so it takes planning.
> 
> Oh, fun fact!! Before writing this story, I always thought Amami's name was Amani. I Was THroWn off
> 
> Anyways this was fun and I have no plan of quitting this if I were to make another book, so no worries! Thanks for reading and I'll see you all soon!! also i have n o idea what to ship in the new book im doing so if you have recommendations pls say?? Tysm!! Bye!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I'm kinda killing Kokichi in this chapter?? Poor baby tbh.

Kokichi watched the figure grow closer, quickly plastering an annoyed look across his face. He felt his heart pounding- no. He heard his heart pounding, and he was quite worried Kaito could hear it too. If he did, he made no signs of caring.

"Why were you running from me and Shuichi?" Kaito asked, seemingly oblivious to Kokichi's annoyance. "Did you do something bad, because I'm sure it isn't too bad. We can fix the problem together." Kaito said with a grin and a triumphant thumbs up. Kokichi huffed in annoyance, hopefully, this wouldn't be too hard...

"Hm? What's this? You still see me as a bad guy, huh? That's why you assumed it was because I did something bad, huh? Huuuh?" He asked, looking at him with curiosity, his finger tapping his lip in thought. Kaito looked at him with alarm.

"What? No-"

"Not that I care! We aren't friends or anything. You're just trying to fix me, right? Riiight?" Kokichi pressed, looking at Kaito with feigned excitement. Each step Kokichi took towards Kaito, the male stepped back.

"Wh- no! Kokichi where is this coming from?" Kaito asked, his eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.

"What? My honesty? I know, you haven't seen me be honest a lot, huh? I guess it's just cause I'm bored of being the test rat that you wanna change." Kokichi explained, his slow progression towards the male coming to a halt. He just wanted them to be further away from his door. Now they were in front of another door, one where the rooms were just full of dusty boxes.

"What are you talking about? I've seen plenty of honesty from you. I comforted you when you were crying- or when we were training. And I don't use you guys as test rats! I just see you as friends that need help sometimes," Kaito explained, but Kokichi knew the drill. Eyes scanning his face for traces of lies, hands clenched, breathing growing slightly. Kaito wasn't sure if Kokichi had been lying to him or not. Kokichi just had to go a little longer.

"Hm? Oh! Nishishi! You really are dumb! Those were lies, I was just bored and needed entertainment. But you and Shuichi are boorring now! I can't believe you didn't catch on." He complained, rolling his eyes. He wanted to avoid the word friends. "Here, want proof? Does this look and sound familiar?" Kokichi let his face drop, his lip quivering as he felt tears build up in his eyes. He let small, fake broken sobs escape him as he rubbed his leaky eyes. As he peeked through his eyes, he noticed Kaito's eyes held a small hint of anger. He wiped his eyes once more and smiled up at the male as if nothing had happened.

"So... what? You were just toying with me and Shuichi ever since we came out of the virtual game?"

"Yep! Look, you're getting it!" Kokichi praised, watching the anger in Kaito's eyes grow. The hatred beneath the anger was comforting to Kokichi.

"You- Was our fight just lies too?" Kaito muttered, his voice deeper than usual. Kokichi felt a jolt run down his spine at the glare he received. Keep going. Soon.

"Ding Ding! Ten points to Kaito Momota! Good Job!" He teased, watching Kaito glare at the ground, clenching and unclenching his fist. Go further, Kokichi. Hit him where it may hurt, something, something, something.

"Too bad though, I was hoping I could convince Maki to like me! Maybe even love, huh? She's pretty dumb when it comes to feelings. She liked you, after all, I think I could get her to like me." He ranted. Kaito had gone deathly silent, Kokichi could barely even see the man's eyes as he hung his head. All he could focus on were his quick glance at his fists, which just kept opening and closing. A little more. What to say? What to say? What angered him in the killing game-

Ah.

Alright, he'll go there.

"Anyways, now that I can't mess with you guys, everything is boring now. I might as well murder someone and start up the killing game. But who first?" He asked, tapping his chin as he looked up at the ceiling. "Hm, Miu would probably be a good option, or perhaps Angie? The smartest choice, though, is our little ultimate detecti-"

Kokichi didn't get to finish his statement.

A fist slammed into the left side of his face. The force was strong enough to jerk his small frame to the right. Unfortunately, the force of the punch had also turned his head into the perfect position that as he was slung against the door which was to the right of him, his head collided with the door handle, slamming against it as he fell against the wood. He crumbled against it, biting his lip to keep from crying out in pain.

"You're such an asshole," was all Kaito growled as he turned around and walked away. Kokichi watched him fade around the corner as black dots filled his vision. N o. . . no. . . no...

Kokichi can't pass out here. He felt a wave of dizziness as he opened the eyes that he didn't know he had closed. He felt something wet dripping down his face as he reached up with both of his shaky hands, pressing them both against each side of his face to examine what it was. As he removed his hands, which were shaking too much, he spotted what looked to be a mixture of blood and water. Was he crying? Yeah, now he felt the tears. He looked back at his bloodied hands. Wait... hands? Only one should've been bloody, he only got hit on one side. He examined his left hand confused, before concluding that he must have reopened his hand wound from this morning when he was slammed against the door.

That's not good. Kokichi reached up to pull himself up on the door handle. As he shakily got halfway up, his hand slipped and he crumbled back on the ground with a small cry of pain. He stayed there as darkness began filling his vision. His pupils scanned the hall quickly, a panicked rush coming over him. He didn't know why... Perhaps it happened to do with the small amounts of adrenaline wearing off and the pain and reality of the situation settling in on him. He was alone in an abandoned hall bleeding out and any attempts of moving only brought him closer to unconsciousness. Oh. He was crying too.

His heartbeat was loud in his ears again. He dragged himself away from the door and against the wall, his body screaming at him as he swallowed the thick metallic liquid in his mouth. He was bleeding there now? Why?

His question was answered as he suddenly coughed harshly, his hand flying over his mouth quickly. As the black spots cleared his vision, he looked down at his hand.

A chipped off piece of a tooth.

Maybe the tooth fairy will visit and give him a break?

Haha...

Kokichi gripped the chipped piece tooth in his right hand, looking at the blood seeping through his makeshift bandage on his left hand. His tongue scanned the inside of his mouth and found a sharp edge of a molar, in fact, he may have cut his tongue on it. He couldn't tell, all he knew was that he had a busted lip and a chipped molar that probably cut him. He held the chunk of a tooth in his hand as he slowly made his way up the wall, only falling back on his knee once. He just needed to get to his room, he didn't need any help. Eventually, he had risen to a standing position and was making his way down the hall while leaning against the wall. Kokichi blinked his eyes wearily as he came to an intersection. Where does he go again?

...  
...  
Straight? He slowly took baby steps across the wall-less area. He didn't know how much his head had been busted open, but blood was caking his vision on his right eye. He could still see, so he continued forward. Who knew being punched while near a door handle was such a bad idea? Probably everyone. He inched along the hallway, stumbling a few times, but not really falling. The pain was hitting him in waves though. He had some medicine somewhere... he thinks? Kokichi continued on, taking random turns. It felt like years before he got to some sort of hallway he somewhat recognized, though, in reality, it was probably only 10-20 minutes. Kokichi walked out into the intersection he was at and took a sharp left.

Or he would if he wasn't run into.

"Oh, I'm sorry- Ouma?!" An alarmed voice called. He blinked to clear the dots and found himself on the floor. He peeked up with his good eye and spotted Amami staring at him with concern. "A-Are you ok?" He asked hurriedly, reaching down and pulling Kokichi up by his arms. Kokichi had to lean on him to steady himself.

"M' fine. I just need to go... to my room." Kokichi said, pushing himself off the male as he began walking again. Rantaro was quick to stop him.

"No no no. You need to go see Mikan, besides that's the wrong way to the rooms." He explained, spinning the boy to face him as he gently yet firmly held onto his shoulders. He watched as Kokichi tried to focus on him, his pupil scanning him. God, that was a lot of blood, mostly on the right side of his face, but there was a string of blood leaking out of his lips. He scanned him, also spotting his right hand fisted tightly and his left one dripping small drops of blood.

"Come on, you need to see Mikan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I
> 
> L o V E
> 
> AN G ST
> 
> Im soRRY aaaAAAAA
> 
> :)) thank you for waiting I had fun writing this chapter and I probably hurt him too much but thats ok u know?? Anyways hi how are you have a good day eat ur veggies go to school and brush ur teeth. ::-))) ILY ALL also
> 
> Validating Kaito a little:  
> -kokichi was being a dick  
> -he did say he was gonna start the killing game  
> -he threatened shuichi  
> -kaito didnt see kokichi hit his head and bleed!! Big one!! He was turned around and walking away, I shouldve explained this  
> -this is saioumota so redemption will come i swear  
> -he is a sweet boy who was emotionally distraught over Kokichi’s lies :)  
> -it’ll get better soon


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi escapes?

Kokichi didn't know how he did it, but he managed to squirm out of Amami's grasp and escape him. Sadly, Rantaro would know Kokichi would go to his room, and he was almost positive the male knew ways to get in. It had only been about 20 minutes since he's escaped him, most of that time he took trying to feel alright after running so much. Currently, he had locked himself in an abandoned bathroom and was cleaning some blood up with napkins as the water seemed to be cut off in this bathroom. He shoved some against his hand wound and wrapped the now blood-drenched strip of cloth around his hand tightly, applying pressure to help the bleeding. It was close to stopping anyways.

Kokichi looked back up at his blood-caked face, trails of previous tears had dried and left streaks in the thicker liquid. His head wound had also slowed its bleeding, and he hadn't wanted to reopen it. So avoiding the wound, he grabbed some napkins and attempted to clean his face. This only seemed to help a little, instead, it mainly smeared the blood around. Kokichi cussed quietly as he opened his right eye, as much as he could at least. This would do until he could go into his room without concern of Rantaro.

At that moment, Kokichi heard the clatter of footsteps rushing down the hall. He quickly ducked behind a cabinet which held bathroom necessities.

"Atua says... check in there!" Angie could be heard, commanding someone outside the door. The door rattled some, then some whispers. Kokichi held his breath, he felt like he was being chased by a killer. The door slammed open, causing Kokichi to take a sharp inhale at the noise.

"Gonta no see nobody." He heard Gonta mutter. Silence only followed, except for the patter of feet which seemed to be retreating. Kokichi heard heavy footsteps follow after. He peaked around the cabinet's corner to see if they had left, only to come face to face with Angie, who held a knowing smile. Kokichi let out a small shriek as he stumbled back, wincing as his hands slammed into the ground to keep him from falling.

"Gonta! I found him, grab him and let's get back to Amami!" Angie cheered, the male who stood behind her moved towards Kokichi.

"Gonta sorry, please stay still so Gonta no hurt Kokichi more," Gonta explained, scooping him up. Kokichi was relieved at the gentleness of the taller boy, who managed to keep a grip on the boy without hurting him as he tried to squirm out of his grasp. He gave up after a while seeing as the stronger male hadn't budged, nor did he look the slightest bit bothered.

After about five minutes, Kokichi turned his head towards Angie who had suddenly called out "Yahoo! Amami!" He looked at the man who spun around, eyes almost immediately landing on Kokichi's. Rantaro's eyes lingered on him before looking at Angie with a smile.

"Perfect! You caught him! Gonta can you keep holding him, he doesn't seem to be able to get out with your hold on him." He praised, getting a nod from Gonta. "Ah, we should call off the search..." Rantaro muttered to himself.

"You called a search to find me?" Kokichi scoffed, a lazy grin resting on his face. Rantaro looked up at him with a nod.

"Of course, you need to see Mikan. Besides, you don't know how bored everyone is. They'll do anything if it means something different and abnormal than their usual schedule. Rantaro explained with a shrug and a small smile. "We were able to get Kaede, Kiibo, Gonta, Angie, Miu, Tenko, even Himiko joined in. Kirumi did too, and if we didn't find you we'd go to Hajime and Nagito." Rantaro explained with a smile and a shrug.

"Go to us for what?" Kokichi heard a voice question, causing the three to spin around and Rantaro to move into view of the group. Hajime and Nagito stood at the front of a group of four. It was the group Kokichi had met earlier.

"Oh God, what happened?" Hajime asked, causing Kokichi's gaze to fall back on him.

"I know, the plastic surgery really changed Amami's bone structure, I tried to tell him not to get it. I told him it'd make his face look more fat than it already was, but I'll be honest, it did wonders for him." Kokichi replied, watching as Rantaro's face turned into one of annoyance.

"Just answer the question, Ouma," Rantaro muttered with a sigh. Kokichi smiled at him, sighing loudly and exaggeratedly.

"Alright, Alright, I fell down the stairs," Kokichi confessed, biting his thumbnail in frustration. "I know, suuuuper embarrassing, right?"

"No, that's wrong." He heard a feminine voice call, directing his eyesight towards the lilac-haired girl standing beside the small male. Kokichi hadn't heard that line in a while.

"Hm? What do you mean? Are you accusing me of lying?" Kokichi asked, faking an offended look. Rantaro scoffed beside him.

"You couldn't have fallen down the stairs. If I'm correct, there's only one stairwell that we are aware of. With that in mind, we were having our meeting in a room beside the stairwell. Even though the door was closed, one of us would've heard the clatter of you falling down the stairs. From my knowledge, no one heard that?" She asked, looking at the group who shook their heads. "Unless you know of another stairwell?" She asked, watching him carefully.

Kokichi had experienced plenty of interrogations to know how to not reveal anything. So instead of sweating, or giving away his knowledge of the stairwell he had unlocked, he grinned. "Ya caught me! It was a lie! I am a liar after all." He said with a smile, watching as Hajime and Rantaro shook their heads disapprovingly.

"So what'd you do?" The tan girl asked, causing Kokichi to look at her curiously.

"Hm? What do you mean?" He asked, looking at her with a confused look. She looked somewhat taken back.

"Huh? A-About your injury." She explained, watching him as she seemed to become confused herself. Kokichi plastered on a worried and shocked face, looking around at his body nervously.

"Huh?! I-I'm injured? Quick, call 911!" He said, looking Rantaro worriedly.

"Come on, Ouma," Rantaro muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Nope!" He said, popping the 'p' with a grin. "Why would I tell you? Snitches get stitches, you know." He explained, running his hand through his hair, only to stop as he encountered the wet feeling of blood. He pulled his hand away and looked at it with a shrug.

"Ou-"

"Damn it! They already found him! The hunt is off assholes!" Kokichi heard Miu shout from behind the group. They looked behind them to find Miu and Kiibo standing there, Miu with a frown on her face. "Hey, shrimp dick! How'd you get so beat up huh?" She asked, walking through the crowd to confront him.

"Why do you wanna know, Miu? Ah, I know! You wanna get beat like this, huh? 'Cus sluts like you like that stuff, right?" He asked, excitedly, getting a whimper from the girl as she shrunk back. He looked at Kiibo with a grin.

"Wow, Keeboy! You're lucky huh? Since you're a robot, you're unable to feel pain and can't bleed like a normal human! You can't relate one bit to humanity when it comes to injuries, huh?" Kokichi asked, watching the robot frown.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling alright enough to make robophobic comments. Thanks to my recording function, I can take you to court once we get out." Kiibo complained.

"Nishishi! Sure you will. I am the ultimate supreme leader, though, I can just send my following of 10,000 on the entire court system and take it down." Kokichi explained, watching Kiibo's face shift into one of doubt.

"That's a lie, you can't do that!" He accused as a clatter of footsteps could be heard from behind the robot. Kokichi tried to see who was coming, but he couldn't see past the group and Kiibo. He groaned and tapped Gonta.

"Hey Gonta, can you lift me up?" He asked the taller male, getting a nod in response and getting lifted from under his shoulders. He spotted Kirumi, Kaede, Tenko, and Himiko walking over. "Ah, nice view." He hummed, looking down at the four. He blinked at a headache which had formed but showed no other signs of being in pain. He was still trying to avoid a doctor visit after all.

"Oh gosh! Are you ok Ouma?" Kaede asked, looking up at the male who had moved to sit on Gonta's shoulders. Kokichi just waved her off, a smile painting his lips.

"Nah, I'm physically in so much pain. Like, ow. Am I dying?" Kokichi said in a sarcastic tone. It wasn't all sarcastic though, he was in pain, but he can fake recovery until he's alone. Speaking of... "No, but honestly, I'm fine. No need for a doctors visit! Want proof?" He asked, and before anyone could respond, he squirmed off of Gonta's shoulders, landed on the ground with a thump, and began in a sprint down the hall.

"Mikan!" He heard Nagito call. He kept running and just as he was about to take a turn.

"Y-yes-"  
  
He ran into a certain nurse, knocking himself back and onto the ground. He quickly caught himself, but his hand wound reopened at the force of the land.

"Shit." He muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dunno how much eye liked this chapter? WhooPS?
> 
> AaaAAA Hi how are y'all? 
> 
> Im having a bad day, but I did have fun writing this chapter! so that's a plus!!
> 
> My best friend keeps yelling at me to update so i kinda had to write today :)) But it was nice
> 
> Hope yall enjoyed!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi doesn't bump into anyone!! Also, he gets help!
> 
> ALSO READ BEGINNING NOTE PLEASE!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: INCASE I MESSED UP,, SHUICHI WASN'T THERE FOR WHEN KAITO PUNCHED KOKICHI, IF YOU THOUGHT SO ITS PROBABLY MY FAULT AND I APOLOGIZE, JUST A PSA

Kokichi sat on a white bed, making attempts to squirm away from Mikan as she attempted to care for his injuries. Rantaro and Tenko were tasked with keeping Kokichi still as Gonta didn't like watching medical procedures. Tenko volunteered as she was the second strongest in the group. Kokichi felt two hands hold his head still as Mikan began cleaning the blood around the wound. Kokichi let out a hiss at the sting and attempted to rip his head away from the cloth connected to his head, but the two hands kept him from moving.

"The sooner it's clean, the less it'll hurt," Rantaro said from behind him, making him roll his eyes.

"No shit Sherlock." He muttered in response, biting his lip to keep another cry from exiting his lips. Mikan just kept muttering apologies.

"So what'd you do to get this beat up?" Tenko asked, having been somewhat quiet until now.

"He hasn't told anyone, we'll probably figure it out later," Rantaro answered for Kokichi, the smaller boy felt a sigh of relief as the cloth moved away from his injury.

"I-It's not too big or deep of a cut, but it may need stitches," Mikan said from beside him, a small groan of annoyance escaping his lips.

"Just stick a bandaid on it," Kokichi muttered, getting a sympathetic look from Mikan as she asked Tenko to hold the cloth over his injury while she got the supplies.

"I don't think that's how it works," Tenko replied, pressing the cloth on his head while applying some pressure to lessen the bleeding. Kokichi felt her grip on the back of his head holding him still. Mikan walked back with a needle and some thread, moving Tenko's hand away with a small thank you.

"This shouldn't hurt at all, just don't move please," Mikan said kindly, as she began with the process. Kokichi, for once through this process, was completely still. He wasn't much of a fan of needles sticking into his skin. Kokichi felt his grip on the bed sheets tighten, but that was the only movement he made, his breathing even slowed. He didn't really feel it at all, but that didn't calm him down a bit.

"Hey, she's done now Ouma, you can calm down." He heard Rantaro say as he saw Mikan move slightly away in his peripheral vision. He released the breath he had been holding and looked at the now slightly bloody bed sheets. He blinked as he watched a wet clean cloth being held out to him.

"H-here, you should wipe off your face while I look at your hand." Mikan quietly muttered as he took the wipe with his uninjured hand and began wiping his face of blood.

"Are there any other injuries besides this?" He heard Rantaro ask, making him hum in thought. His tooth, which he had stored in a napkin which occupied his pocket. The question was if he should tell or not.

Hmm...

"Yeah, my tooth was chipped, but that isn't too big of a deal." He replied casually, causing Mikan to look up.

"A-ah but it could become one, I'll talk to Hajime and Nagito on taking you guys to a dentist soon. You should all get a checkup." Mikan said with a small smile while pulling the makeshift napkin bandages off of his hand.

"Ew, those weirdos like to sick their hands in other people's mouths, I'll pass," Kokichi said, watching in anticipation as she grabbed a cloth covered in some kind of liquid. He jerked his hand away as she wiped across the cut, or at least tried to, she had a surprisingly strong grip.

"It's alright, I'm almost done." She reassured, and honestly, it somewhat calmed him. Perhaps it's just a trait of the ultimate nurse to be calming. The sting wasn't as bad after the initial pain and she did finish rather quickly.

"This cut isn't bad enough for stitches, but it should be wrapped up. I'll give you a roll of bandages and gauze, you may need help rebandaging it at some points, so just ask your roommate, or someone else." Mikan explained as she grabbed a gauze pad and some bandages and wrapped it tightly around his hand. She then grabbed a paper bag and shoved some supplies in it.

"There's also some medication for pain if needed, if your stitches break open, come back to me." She explained with a smile spread across her face. "T-thanks for being a good patient, do you want a sucker and sticker?" She asked nervously with a small smile. Ouma looked at her with an unamused face.

"What do you take me as? A kid? Of course, I do. Grape please." He said, rolling his eyes.

And that's how Shuichi encountered Kokichi. A grape sucker stuck between his lips and a Spiderman sticker on his right cheek.

"K-Kokichi? What happened to your hand, everyone's been talking about how you got hurt." Shuichi said as he walked beside the boy.

"Yep! I rammed my head into a doorknob! Had to get stitches!" He said with a lazy grin, watching Shuichi look at him as though he was trying to figure out a puzzle. Ah, this was a good time for phase 2 of the 'No friends' plan. "By the way, have I told you recently that you should just ditch Kaito and hang out with me?" Kokichi asked, a wide smile painting his face. "Cause you should. That idiot doesn't need you."

"What- no? Why can't I be friends with both of you?" Shuichi asked as Kokichi stopped, causing him to stop as well. Kokichi just rolled his eyes with an annoyed expression.

"Because I don't like him, duh! Come on, Shuichi, choose me, that big dumbo doesn't deserve you." Kokichi said, grabbing his sleeve with puffed out cheeks in a pout.

"Wha- Kokichi, you don't get to dictate my friendships. Just because you don't like Kaito doesn't mean I can't. Besides, we can still be friends when I'm friends with him." Shuichi said calmly. What to do? This is too hard. Escape and replan.

"That's not how it works, Shuichi. It's either me or him." Kokichi said as he let go of his sleeve and began walking away. Luckily, Shuichi hadn't begun walking with him, instead, he just stood there, watching him confused. "Make a good choice!" He called as he rounded the corner.

Kokichi broke out into a sprint towards his room, he hadn't wanted to be followed by Shuichi. He unlocked the door quickly, opening it with urgency as he shut it behind. Too much human interaction. Too much lying for the day, now he just wanted to relax. Too bad he couldn't.

His hair still had blood clumped in it as well as a few streaks on his face, and he didn't want to have to dirty his bed sheets with it. So with that in mind, he cleaned out his pockets of the wrapped tooth and envelopes, which he would've read if he hadn't encountered Kaito. After doing so, Kokichi walked into the bathroom, which he had unlocked, and stripped off his clothes and bandage on his hand, and sticking the spiderman sticker on the door handle. He stepped into the shower, turning on the water.

Kokichi pulled on a loose nightshirt and some sweatpants. He'd been here for a few nights and this is his first time wearing some much too large nightclothes. Kokichi smiled down at the comfortable clothes then grabbed the gauze and bandage for his hand. He didn't need any help, he didn't know what Mikan was talking about.

...

..

.

He needed help. He turned towards his bathroom door with a sense of dread filling his stomach. Wow! Confrontation, his favorite. Good joke, he turned around and walked to his door which he had forgotten to lock with his gauze pad, bandages, and key. He quickly locked the door behind him and walked to the closest room to his that wasn't Kaito's.

Huh, his room was to the right of Korekiyo's, cool. He knocked, half expecting no answer, but the door opened, and there stood the tall man, book in hand.

"Heyy! You got those weird bandages on your hand, help me out. Hold this still while I wrap this." Kokichi commanded, Korekiyo did as he was told, only to stop Kokichi as he began.

"No no, you're doing it all wrong." Korekiyo scolded, holding his hand out for the bandage roll. Kokichi and Korekiyo switched positions, with Kokichi holding the pad still as Korekiyo taught him. He honestly saw no differences in the way he was taught and in how he was doing it before, but he nodded in agreement to his teaching. He got bored halfway through the instruction though and allowed his eyes to wander as he randomly said small mhm's of agreement. Kokichi's eyes landed on the title of Korekiyo's book, which he had set on the ground so he could wrap the bandage correctly, staring at it in recognition.

"That book's about Japanese folklore, right?" He asked curiously, cutting him off mid-explanation.

"Yes. I'm surprised you know that, Ouma." Korekiyo said as he too looked at the book on the ground.

"A supreme leader has to have a basic education at least. Plus I taught some people who liked these kinda stories." He explained as he looked at it with a smile.

"Well, you can borrow it once I'm done reading it." He offered, finishing with the bandage wrapping and bending down to pick it up.

"Alright, thanks!" He said as he skipped off, not waiting for a reply. He unlocked the door, humming to himself as he walked in, pocketing his key. He froze halfway through the doorway, though, as he looked up.

There was Kaito leaning against the wall and Shuichi looking at his taped up photographs.

"Oh, Kokichi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhh, may start writing for my new story tonight?? Dunnno
> 
> Anyways!! Thank you for reading! Im love you all yes,, and he gets help!! Hyped to write chapter 22 because coNFROnTatiON!! ANyways, thanks again!! ILY ALL <3
> 
> see yall at some point soon :))


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi, Shuichi, and Kaito talk.

Kokichi felt himself slowly walk backward, he didn't want to face this right now.

"Kokichi," Shuichi called, seeming to notice his subtle movements. "Come in, we just want to talk."

"Yeah, you see, that's the thing. I don't want to talk." He replied casually as his hand reached for the doorknob. His heart was beating quickly in his chest, too quickly.

"Better now than later, we'll just wait until you come back, you can't avoid your room forever, or us for that matter," Shuichi said, making Kokichi pause. He had a point, so long as they're stuck in this house and as long as they remain classmates, he can't avoid them. Kokichi groaned in defeat and grabbed the doorknob, closing in slowly. He really didn't want to do this.

"What is this about? Did you both come here to yell at me?" He asked, spinning around with a grin. He remained by the door with his hand on the handle.

"What, no. Why would we yell at you?" Shuichi asked, more to himself. "Nevermind, we wanna talk. We know what you're doing." Shuichi explained as Kokichi's grip on the door tightened, his face hadn't revealed anything though.

"Hm? Well duh, even an idiot like Kaito could realize that I was playing you two. Actually, I take it back, you two didn't figure that out, huh?" Kokichi teased, his grin growing wider.

"No... That's not true, is it?" Shuichi asked. Kokichi's facade dropped for a split second revealing a worried look, but it was back up only milliseconds later as one of confusion.

"Hm, what are you talking about? I thought you'd at least know how to tell if I'm lying or not." Kokichi complained, loosening his grip on the door as it had begun hurting his hand.

"See, that's the thing, I've begun to notice and pick up details. I'm getting better at knowing your lies, and I think I've got it." Shuichi explained, his eyes shifting over to Kaito, who hadn't looked over at Kokichi once since his arrival.

"Hm, alright then Mister Detective. What am I supposedly doing?" He felt his heart rate quicken. He had no doubt Shuichi knew what he had been attempting to do, he had all of the clues, and he was quite smart.

"You want us to hate you." Kokichi felt his heart drop. It was Kaito who had said it, even he knew. They both knew.

"You want to seclude yourself from others, as a defense mechanism. You have issues with trust, and your attempts of fixing it are to rid yourself of it altogether. You began growing closer to Kaito and me, but you didn't like that. In order to fix it, you decided to just get rid of the friendship altogether, right? It'd be easier that way. To you at least, am I wrong?" Shuichi asked, and of course, he wasn't. Kokichi felt the panic rise up in him, but he pushed it down.

Don't let it show and they won't know, right?

"Nishihshi! That's so stupid! Almost like if Kaito came up with it. Gosh Shuichi, I thought you'd at least come up with something better than that. Anyways, if that's all you got, you can leave." He said, hand raising to the door handle only to stop quickly.

"Ah, but if that isn't true, why would you try so hard to get Kaito to punch you? If I recall, you don't like the killing game, yet from what he told me, you brought it up during your conversation to get him to punch you, much like he did during the game." Shuichi called out, causing Kokichi to freeze. He keeps hitting the nail on the head, and Kokichi hates it.

"No. That was just because I wanted Kaito to leave me alone. Much like right now." He said, finding his voice much more tense and strict. Shuichi seemed to notice this too and kept going.

"Then you tried to get me to choose him over you when you came to question me on my friendship between us. You assumed I'd choose Kaito due to us knowing each other, allowing your plan to succeed, but when that didn't happen, you panicked and walked off, right?"

Kokichi didn't know what to do, give in? Keep with his act? Flee? "No, I just like you more than I like Kaito. But that's changed, get out, I'm bored of you two." Kokichi said, grip tightening on the door handle.

"That's not true, you're worried, aren't you? That's why you froze when you saw us in here, why you tried to leave, why you're trying to get us out? I figured out your lies, and you aren't used to that." Shuichi suggested, watching Kokichi falter.

"I don't need friends, so just get out." He hissed, not really angry at the two for figuring it out, more at himself for being so obvious.

"Why don't you need friends?" Shuichi asked calmly, obviously not affected by Kokichi's unpleasant tone. He didn't move from his spot, neither had Kaito looked over from where his eyes strayed.

"Because they'll just deceive you! Because you'll just disappoint them, and they all end up hating you anyways!" Kokichi blurted out, spitting the words as though they were venom on his tongue. "There, there's your answer. Now can you just leave me alone?" Kokichi asked, his voice had lost the harshness it had once held.

"No." A voice answered, pulling his eyes up to Kaito, who had mainly stayed quiet throughout this interaction. "That's bullshit," Kaito muttered, more to himself as he looked at his hand which was clenched into a fist.

"What?" Kokichi asked, honest confusion filling his voice.

"You shouldn't be worried of making friends. Your issues with trust shouldn't hinder you from making basic bonds. That's... That's a horrible way to live. You shouldn't be worried about disappointing your friends, if they're your friends, they should accept you no matter what! Real friends won't deceive or hate you, you should know, you have nine of them." Kaito said, gesturing towards the wall of photos. "You shouldn't have to worry about being backstabbed anymore, we're out of the killing game. You don't have to let down all of your walls, but you shouldn't be worried about making basic friendships." Kaito ranted, unclenching his fist and returning his hand to his side.

Kokichi watched the ground in thought. Kaito was right, and he knew he was, he just couldn't imagine a time when he would befriend anyone in this mansion. Kokichi ran a hand through his hair, carefully avoiding his stitches as he thought. He honestly didn't know what to do. He was at a complete and utter loss.

He wanted to make friends, he just... didn't know how to anymore.

"Hey." He looked up, startled as he hadn't noticed Kaito moving in front of him. "Again, you don't have to let down all of your walls, but at least let me and Shuichi help you. You don't have to go through everything alone after all." Kaito said softly with a kind smile.

Kokichi was so confused, so conflicted. He stared down at his hands, unsure of what to do. He watched as a droplet of water fell onto his bandage.

Ah, he was crying.

He slowly raised his head to look at Kaito, who was still giving him a welcoming close-eyed smile.

He didn't have to do this alone though.

Kokichi felt his feet move on his own as his arms wrapped around Kaito's waist. He burried his face into his shirt, letting the tears fall.

Kaito was slightly startled by the movement but returned the hug, turning to Shuichi with a small smile. Their plan had worked. Shuichi gave the male a thumbs up as he turned back to the photos with a fond smile.

"You're an idiot for getting me to punch you though, I've got some pretty strong punches." Kaito joked, watching as Kokichi pulled back with a quiet laugh.

"Yeah, sure. I'm pretty sure the doorknob did more damage than you did." He said with a teasing grin, Kaito's face held one of confusion though.

"What do you mean the doorknob did more damage?" He asked. Oh shit, he didn't know? Kokichi shifted, might as well tell him now than later. Kokichi fiddled with his hair, pulling it open at the part where the stitches lined his head.

"Holy shit," Kaito muttered, looking at the injury with a pale face. Kokichi released his hair and shifted his weight from foot to foot. "What happened?"

"Well, funny story."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok!! This one may have been a little worse in quality than my last chapter,, i usually take a few hours on a chapter, but this one was only 1 and a half to 2 so,,, 
> 
> also!! it was kinda worse because it was only about one event this time, but it would have been an extra long chapter if i had included more than one event, and I don't think im ready for that tonight SorRY!! ANyways, thanks for reading, hope it wasn't too bad, and I hope im not moving too quick again, if i am tell me please!! Thank you!!


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi rolls his eyes alot.

Kokichi watched curiously as Kaito paced around the room with a paled face.

 

"Shit-" Kaito hissed, only to get cut off.

 

"It's not that bad." Kokichi defended, running his hand through his hair with a sigh.

 

"Yes, it is! I could've killed you."

 

"Well, now you're exaggerating," Kokichi said with a roll of his eyes, feeling his stomach rumble in distress. Huh, he guessed he hadn't eaten today. He sighed, opening his mouth to speak only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. With an annoyed sigh, he heaved himself up and walked over to the door, opening it as he hadn't locked it back yet, in case he needed a way of escape.

 

"Ah, excuse me, Ouma!" Nagito said apologetically. "Oh, and Momota and Saihara." He added, peeking in the room. "I just wanted to alert everyone of tomorrow's plans. We have a dentist appointment, the only one we could find that would take this large of a group in such short time was a couple hours away in a different city, so we'll need to take a stop by our colleagues to get more protection. Just for safety measures. Anyways, we only have five vans in our possession, so five people per van. We will split you into groups tomorrow. Our appointment is at noon, so in order to get there on time, we'll be leaving earlier. Please be ready in the morning by 7, we'll send a wake-up call at 6. You might want to get to bed soon." Nagito explained with a sheepish smile.

 

Kokichi felt relieved, this gave him an excuse to kick the two boys out of his room.

 

"Thanks, Komeada!" He called as the male began to walk away towards the other rooms. "And you two, out! Kaito, stop being an idiot and worrying about me. Worry about yourself. Shuichi... you keep doing you, boo." He quipped as walked over to the boys, grabbing their arms and dragged them out of his room.

 

"Oh, and don't come into my room without permission," Kokichi added with a strict voice, looking at the two before slamming the door behind them, locking it quickly. He breathed a small sigh of relief, he was done communicating with anyone for like, ever. He laid on his bed for about thirty minutes before his stomach rumbled loudly in distress.

 

Ah, right, food.  Reluctantly, Kokichi picked himself up off the bed and started towards the kitchen. Upon arrival, he was somewhat surprised to find Kiibo staring sadly at food. He blinked before a small laugh found its way out of him. Kiibo looked up, startled by the sudden noise, but he frowned once he realized it was Kokichi. 

 

"Ah, Ouma. What brings you here?"Kiibo asked, trying not to sound too annoyed. Why even try to hide the annoyance, he can still tell...

 

"Well, you see Kiibo, humans, unlike robots, need sustenance to live," Kokichi explained, strolling to the fridge only to find it mostly empty. He frowned and closed the door.

 

"Here, you can have this," Kiibo offered, pushing the food towards the shorter boy. Kokichi smiled widely and took the plate, digging into it with a happy hum. 

 

"Why do you even have food at the ready?" Kokichi asked the robot who watched him eat with a sad stare. 

 

"I just made it for Iruma, but she said she remembered to eat. She usually forgets, so it's strange." He explained with a blink. "Do you think I'll ever get to be more... human?" Kiibo added after a few minutes of silence. Ah, so he's bothered by that.

 

Now, Kokichi wasn't dumb, and he did know basic emotions. He also knew when it was a time to joke and when it wasn't. So, he responded appropriately. "You already are, idiot."

 

"Hey!"

 

"Shush. Listen, you know emotions, communication, and how to express yourself. That's some of the most advanced features of a human, some many people have a hard time learning. So yeah, you're already a human." He responded casually as he scooped more food into his mouth. Kiibo only stared, watching him as though he were analyzing him for lies. After he seemingly found no deception in Kokichi's face, he sighed.

 

"But... I can't eat, or swim, or read the mood, or-"

 

"That doesn't mean you aren't human. It just means you can't do things others can. God, stop with this self-pity, you're a super AI. You can do things we can't, like that recording feature that drains all of your oil, or the photo feature you use to take photos of Mui's shit. Listen, humanity is shit, and we end up ruining each other's lives. You should be proud of who you are currently, and be looking for more ways to improve yourself. Not change yourself," Kokichi stated, pointing an accusing finger at Kiibo. Kiibo watched Kokichi once more, making Kokichi roll his eyes and push his half-eaten meal away.

 

"See ya Kiiboy." He called as he got up and walked out the door. He felt Kiibo's eyes on him as he left. Upon the door closing, he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He stumbled back to his room and unlocked the door. After relocking his door and hiding his key, he collapsed on the bed, his eyes fighting to keep open. 

 

And he lost. 

  
  


He awoke to the knock of his door the next morning. With a defeated sigh, he scrambled to get it unlocked. 

 

He rubbed his eyes sleepily as he opened the door, his eyes immediately meeting the heterochromatic eyes. "Good morning, Ouma. Please get ready, we'll be leaving in around an hour.” Kokichi just watched in a sleepy haze and nodded. 

 

"Did you even hear a thing I sai-" Kokichi closed the door, cutting Hajime off. He walked back to his bed, collapsing on it with a content sigh. He snuggled into the sheets and began to fall asleep once more.

 

Knock, knock, knock

 

Kokichi let a grumble of cusses escape his lips and he lifted himself up and back to the door. 

 

"Wake up! Wake up!" Kaito hollered at him, clapping his hands enthusiastically. Kokichi closed the door in his face, only for the knocking to begin again. He let out a groan as he walked over to his bed and grabbed a pillow. He strolled back and swung open the door. 

 

"Wake up! Wake- Hmph!" Kokichi threw the pillow into Kaito's face. 

 

"Shut up. I'm awake," he muttered while rubbing his eyes tiredly. Kokichi closed the door again, forgetting about his pillow and walking over to his uniforms. Perhaps they could go to a mall and get more clothes...

 

He pulled on the outfit and ran his hand through his hair, looking around the room. He pulled on some socks and his shoes and began towards the kitchen. Upon arriving, he spotted Miu eating alongside Kiibo, Kirumi fixing food, Kaede and Maki chatting while waiting for plates, and Angie was grabbing a bowl.

 

Kokichi grabbed an apple that was in a fruit bowl on the counter and began walking back towards the exit. Angie must have gotten what she needed because she caught up with him as he was exiting. "Ah! Kokichi! Yahoo!" She greeted, he looked at her empty bowl with a curious stare. 

 

"What's the bowl for, you're not eating breakfast?" He asked, not returning the greeting, but she didn't seem to mind. 

 

"I would. But, but, we're leaving soon, and I need to finish a painting." She explained as they walked to, apparently, the art room. "See, see." She said as they entered. Kokichi admired the wall mural as she walked over to fill the bowl with paint. 

 

"Neat." He chirped, admiring her art. The painting was of a knocked over glass jar with a galaxy inside. Some spilled out, however, but what spilled out seemed to become paper origami stars. 

 

"Hmm. Kokichi, what color for outlining?" She asked, holding up two paint cans. Kokichi looked between the lilac and black, and the painting. 

 

"The jar should be lilac and the origami stars should be black." He said as she handed him a paint brush. 

 

"Yes, yes! You paint the stars." She commanded, as she poured some black onto a pallet and handed it to him. Kokichi didn't seem to have much choice, so he began with the outlining. The two stayed in a comfortable silence, Angie finished her outlining far quicker than Kokichi, who was taking his time. 

 

"Good, good!" She applauded, beginning on another star beside him. "Atua is working through you!" She cheered. Kokichi rolled his eyes with a fond smile. Upon finishing the last star, a knock resonated through the room. The two shared a curious look and Kokichi walked over to the door, opening it swiftly. 

 

"Hey, Angi- AH!" Tenko screamed, stumbling back and standing in a defensive position in front of Himiko. "What're you doing in there! What've you done with Angie?! Did you kill her?!" Tenko accused, Angie just peeked her head over from behind Kokichi.

 

"Yahoo! Hi Himiko! Hi Tenko!" She greeted with a wave.

 

"Angie, you're being tricked! Whatever lie Ouma told you to get you on his side-" 

 

"Oh no! I invited him!" She cheered, smile still wide on her face. Kokichi rolled his eyes and walked away from the door and over to his apple, he got prior to the painting. 

 

"Nyeh, It's time to leave." He heard Himiko tell Angie. She said her thanks and closed the door. 

 

"Kokichi, it's time to go!" She said as she grabbed a few supplies and shoved them into a tote bag. Kokichi looked at his apple and then at Angie. 

 

"Alright." He agreed, walking out with her and where a large group was summoned in the main hall. "Hey, Kaito!" He called, causing the male to spin around.

 

"Oh, Kokichi-"

 

"Betcha can't break this apple in half." He challenged, tossing the apple to the male. He gladly accepted the challenge, but apparently, he was right. Kaito couldn't break it. Kokichi watched as the man shyly turned towards Maki, who took the apple and broke it with ease. Kokichi smiled, amused, as he retrieved the apple and offered half to Angie. She opened her mouth to thank him but was cut off by the group at the front. 

 

"So as you all know, we have five vans. That means it can fit twenty-five people, well more, but we also have some we need to pick up ourselves. So we're limiting you down to five per van, excluding the driver. We split you into groups already, my group is Nagito, as I don't trust him by himself or as a driver, Chabashira, Yumeno, Harukawa, and Akamatsu. Come on, let’s get boarded" He said before exiting the room with the group following behind him.

 

"Hi, I'm Makoto Naegi! I will be your principal at Hope's Peak when it's ready! It won't be too long now! Anyways, my group consists of Momota, Amami, Shinguji, Hoshi, and Tojo, come on!" He said kindly as the group began to walk out.

 

"Aw, well see ya after!" He called to Shuichi and Kokichi with a wave.

 

"Hi, I am Kirigiri Kyouko.  My group consists of the rest of you. This means I have Yonaga, Gokuhara, Iruma, Kiibo, Saihara, and Ouma." She said cooly, her eyes shifting over to Kokichi's. "I request that you behave."

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! Another one wooo! 
> 
> Anyways this week has been hectic because it's the week before exams and I swear Macbeth is gonna murder me and I just wanna write and drawwww :(( I also really wanna work on my new story, but i can save that for tomorrow or friday and upload for both, To Expose A Liar and A Whole New World. Anyways,,
> 
> Thanks for reading!! I hope this chapter doesnt seem rushed :) ILy all and see yall next chapter and in the comments ::)))


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Kyouko.

Kokichi sat in between Shuichi and Angie, they were seated in the middle row of the van. Iruma and Kiibo sat in the back seat, and Gonta sat in the front with Kyouko. They had begun driving, and everything was seemingly calm.

And boring.

Kokichi looked around the van, his eyes landing on the radio built into the car. He quickly unbuckled and shot up, clicking the on button.

"Sit down, Ouma." Kyouko scolded, swatting him back as her hand tightened on the wheel.

"It's too quiet." He whined as a guitar solo filled the air.

"You could have, I don't know, asked? I would have turned it on, you didn't have to risk everyone's life." Kyouko replied strictly as she turned the music down some. Kokichi felt like she was exaggerating, but he dropped it. They had only been on the road for five minutes, after all.

Kokichi looked over at Angie, who was beginning a sketch of a male. "I call it 'Atua reincarnated'." She said after a few minutes as he watched her. Kokichi hummed in reply, observing curiously. After a few minutes, Angie reached into her tote bag and handed him a paper, pencil, and clipboard. "Here, you draw too!" She encouraged before turning back to her own.

Kokichi doodled for about ten minutes, a small smile forming on his face as he felt Shuichi looking over his shoulder. "Uh... Kokichi?"

"Mhm!"

"Wh-whatcha drawing?"

"The future," Kokichi responded as he colored in Shuichi's hair. "See, there's you and Kaito, holding me up in my throne, and there's our dear classmates, bowing down to me." He said, pointing at the people who were bowed in a circle around his drawn form. Angie peeked over as well, and so had the two behind him at hearing the conversation.

"Good anatomy, Kokichi, but-but where's Atua?" Angie asked, causing Kokichi to roll his eyes and sketch a little ghost beside Angie.

"That ain't fuckin' accurate! My boobs are way bigger!" Miu exclaimed with a huff from behind him.

"Nishishi! That's a lie."

"Where am I?" Kiibo asked, confusion clear in his voice.

"Isn't it obvious, you're right there!" Kokichi stated, pointing at the toaster he had drawn in between Maki and Ryoma.

"What? I'm not a toaster!" Kiibo said accusingly, which Kokichi ignored as he colored in the hair of his classmates,

"Hm? What was that? Sorry, I don't speak robot." Kokichi said emotionlessly as he began doodling himself once more on another area of his paper.

"Hey!-"

"Behave! We haven't even been on the road for thirty minutes!" Kyouko commanded, silencing the group.

"Yes, ma'am." The group said collectively, before returning to their seats.

It stayed silent.

For a good 3 minutes.

"Are we there yet?"

"I swear- No, Ouma. Saihara?"

"Ah- yes?" The boy responded, caught off guard as he had been zoned out staring out the window.

"Please help me out with Ouma." Kirigiri requested although it was more of an order.

"Ah, sure."

"Hah! Cockichi needs to be treated like a baby who needs attention!" Miu exclaimed, causing Kokichi to turn in his seat to face her, sitting on his knees.

"Wow! That's funny! You must know what it's like, right? You are the bitch baby who needs to be reminded to do basic human actions!" Kokichi cooed with a wide smile. Shuichi spun him back around and sat him down.

"Shh, don't start stuff." He said calmly, causing Kokichi to roll his eyes but sit down nonetheless. Kokichi watched out of the window as they rode, humming along to the song he recognized that played. Shuichi watched from beside him, staring at him intently.

"What?" Kokichi asked as the song got to an instrumental break.

"Huh?"

"What're you looking at me for?" Kokichi stated as though it were the most obvious thing.

"Ah, just curious," Shuichi claimed, watching Kokichi look at him curiously. "What?"

"What were you curious about?"

"Oh- just random things, like-"

"Oh no!" Kokichi interrupted, a frown etched into his face. Shuichi looked at him with a disappointed sigh.

"What is it now?"

"I don't have any Panta! Shit!" He swore, biting his thumb in distaste.

"I-It's only for a few hours." Shuichi tried to comfort, but Kokichi was still gnawing at his nail.

"I know that, my beloved Shuichi. But then we'll be at a dentist and I won't be able to drink it then either." He whined. A small sigh could be heard from Kyouko. Shuichi just patted his back comfortingly. Kokichi honestly didn't care that much, he just didn't want to hear Shuichi's prying questions...

So why did he even ask what?

Kokichi curled his knees up to his chest and let out a sigh, feeling his eyes slowly closes. Everything was just so calming at the moment. He was comfortable, kinda, and there was music playing lightly, and Kiibo and Miu were chatting quietly behind him. Angie's pencil was scribbling away, and Shuichi was patting his back, kinda, it was more just lingering on his back. Kokichi didn't mind, though. He watched as black engulfed his vision, and slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

He awoke, leaning against a soft structure, still curled into a ball. He peeled open his eyes and found himself leaning on Shuichi's shoulder- er- arm. Kokichi lifted himself off the boy with a yawn, rubbing his eyes quietly. He looked over to Shuichi and found he had, too, fallen asleep. Kokichi looked around and found most people in the vehicle had fallen asleep.

No- everyone had. He looked around confused, why was it so dark? The car was parked, and they were just... in a field. What? Kokichi felt anxiety filling his chest as he looked up, finding Kyouko asleep as well. Wait... she... she wasn't asleep. She was bleeding, a slit throat. She-

She was dead. Kokichi spun to look at Shuichi, finding him unmoved against the window. Kokichi shook him to wake him, but it only slung him forwards, a knife wound straight through his chest, where his heart would be.

He spun around to face Angie-

Stabbed in the middle of her chest, a variety of times. Miu had a knife wound in the middle of her head. Kiibo was off, cables and wires leaking out of him, all cut in half. Gonta was stabbed through his lungs. Oh god. Oh god.

Kokichi rubbed his eyes, tears leaking out of them. He pulled his hands back and looked at them, only to find them coated with blood. Kokichi looked at the ground floor, finding a knife by his feet which was also coated with blood.

What-

"Kokichi." Kokichi spun to face Shuichi, finding him sitting up and staring at him with a blank lifeless stare. "You're alone Kokichi, and you always will be."

"Wh-what?" He asked, watching as the man disappeared into the air. He spun around, watching his classmates fade as well.

"Kokichi!" Kokichi spun to the noise and spotted a figure out in the field, slowly growing closer.

"Kokichi!" The car was gone, it was now just him, frozen in the field with the figure growing closer.

"Kokichi!"

Kokichi's eyes opened quickly, scanning around his surroundings. Where was he? Car. Who was he leaning on? Stripped fabric... Shuichi? The car had stopped moving. He quickly sat up, relieved to find himself in a vehicle with living humans. He sighed in relief and rested his head back with closed eyes.

"Kokichi, come on. Wake up, we're almost there." He heard Shuichi tell him as he patted his arm.

"Yeah yeah, gotcha." He replied with a nod, feeling Shuichi's gaze linger on him. He felt the car come to a stop and heard the engine shut off. He peaked open his eyes and found himself looking at the wall of a McDonalds.

A McDonalds with a play pin.

Kokichi sighed, just ignore the bad stuff and it won't matter. Right? Besides, he has to be fine while in public, he refused to show vulnerability. He climed out of the car after Shuichi and took off into a sprint towards the doors leading inside.

"Ouma!" He heard Kyouko call.

"The last one to the slide is a rotten egg!" He shouted back, racing into the building.

"Ouma, no!" Was the last thing he heard Kyouko shout as he ran into the building, the door closing behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HOPE THAT WASNT BORING OR TOO OOC :((( ANYWAYS HI ILY AND I NEED SLEEP SO UHH
> 
> GN!! SEE YALL EITHER TOMORROW OR SatURDAY!
> 
> ILY AND TY FOR READING!!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The McDonald's employees must be confused.

Kokichi sat in the plastic tubes of the McDonald's playground.

"Kokichi, come out already. We need you to know what want to eat." He heard Kaito call. Kokichi just traced his name on the tube, not moving.

"Wow, you guys are useless. There's only one thing to eat at McDonald's, McNuggets. What are you, basic commoners?" He asked from his position, only shifting to get into a comfier state. He closed his eyes as he heard retreating footsteps. His mind kept going back to his nightmare. More specifically the figure.

He knew that figure, and it was strange. He hadn't had any nightmares about him in months. So why now? He didn't understand-

"Nyeh, Ouma." A voice called, making his eyes open as he stared at the figure looking at him through the opening. He quickly replaced the frown on his face with a smile. How did he not hear her coming?

"Ohh heyy Himiko!" He said, looking at her with a wave. "What brings you to my castle? Are you finally ready to fill the position as queen?" He asked with a lazy smirk.

"Nyeh? N-no... the others asked me to go get you as I can actually fit up here." She said, avoiding looking the male in the eyes.

He wouldn't be left alone, huh?

"Ah, alright! Boo, there goes my fun. Some brat has probably peed up here anyway." He said with a shrug as he crawled out. "Come on." He said, walking over to the slide before looking back at Himiko who just stared at him. "What, are you coming?"

"Nyeh, Ouma. Is something wrong?" That threw Kokichi off, his smile even dropped for a second. Only a second, though. It was back up and was more of a knowing smirk now.

"Aw, is Himiko concerned for me? How cute! I'm fine though, why wouldn't I be?" He asked, though he really shouldn't have. She had to have a reason for thinking he was upset, and that would just mean more lies to come up with.

"You just looked upset earlier in the tube."

"Nishishi, I'm fin-"

"Nyeh, If- If you wanna be upset about something you don't have to keep it to yourself. You and Tenko are the ones who taught me that. You said it yourself, right, you shouldn't lie to yourself. You told me that when Tenko died." She added, watching him now with a curious look. Kokichi- well he'd be honest- he hadn't expected this from Himiko.

"I'm fine, Himiko. I'll keep that in mind though, thanks." He said with a small, honest smile as he stood by the slide. "Come on, let's go eat." He said, before sitting down and sliding down. The other joined him down a minute later and he offered her a hand up, which she took cautiously. Kokichi quickly pulled back on his shoes and sighed, walking out into the open.

He first noticed strangers occupying some seats. There was a silver-haired girl sitting beside a real-life boss baby, a male who looked to have the same body build as Gonta sitting across from boss baby and silver girl. Beside Gonta number two was a tan girl who had a mess of brown hair and very revealing clothes. He looked away and spotted a pink, magenta even, haired male arguing with an edgy scene kid and a blonde haired girl smiling with hamsters on her shoulders. Beside the table they occupied was a blonde shorty, Mikan, a redhead girl with a camera, and scene kid number two, but female.

Kokichi next spotted a hand waving furiously to catch his attention. Sitting at a table with four chairs was Shuichi and Kaito, who was trying to catch his attention. He sighed and began walking towards the group only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He spun around quickly and backed away from the contact, staring up at Hajime.

Hajime looked to where his hand was raised and at Kokichi who had moved away from his touch with confusion. He lowered his hand nonetheless and sighed. "Didn't Kyouko ask for no trouble?" He asked with a disappointed sigh. Kokichi just grinned with a shrug and slung his arms behind his head.

"Hey, don't blame me, it was boring. Anyways, I gotta question! Could you kill someone with that spike on your head, what is it? It looks sharp. Can I touch it? Is it like a secret club thing because tons of people have it. Oh! Is it a new trend or-"

Hajime walked away.

Kokichi snickered at his retreat and turned back, beginning towards the couple.

"Heyy! Got my chicken nuggets?"

"No, they aren't out yet-"

"Order #12?"

"Oh, I'll be back," Kaito said as he got up and walked to the counter to help grab food.

"Ah, Kokichi. You seemed different after waking up, was something wrong?" Shuichi asked, looking at the male with concern. Kokichi shrugged lazily and leaned on his hand.

"I don't know. Is something wrong Shuichi?"

"What?"

"How are you lately, Shuichi? No one's really checked in on the killing game survivors. So, how are you, is something wrong?" Kokichi asked, peering at him intensely. Shuichi shifted slightly, rubbing his head. "I want to know the truth."

"Ah, I haven't really been asked that. I guess I'm alright, everyone's out and the truth is all revealed and... and..."

"And?"

"And sometimes I wonder if it's all real," Shuichi admitted, scribbling with his finger on the table. Kokichi wasn't really expecting that, he more wanted to shift the topic off of him, but this worked too. Maybe he could help?

"Elaborate."

"Just- I don't know if any of this is real sometimes. I think Maki and Himiko and Kiibo feel the same sometimes. Tsumugi- she had us all convinced. That we were fake, our memories, our existence. That everything was made up. It all made sense. But then, we're back here and everyone's alive, and it was all fake. I don't fully know what to believe. If it is all fake, this world, I just want to live in it while I can before reality hits me that you're all dead. And if it is real, then I- I don't know." Shuichi explained, jumping as Kaito set the food beside him.

Kokichi spotted Kaito open his mouth to speak, so he cut himself off before he could.

"Kaito, hush, this can't be fixed with your 'that's bullshit' attitude. This is a situation that's different from the ones you help with. This one is more of a sense of unknowing." He explained, staring at Shuichi as he grabbed a fry, taking a bite.

"Well, how do we help?" Kaito asked, surprisingly he had listened to what Kokichi said.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Kokichi muttered as he grabbed his chicken nuggets. He went to grab ketchup from the tray but frowned when he saw none. "One second." He said as he got up and walked to where Angie, Tenko, and Himiko sat. He peeked over Angie's shoulder at her ketchup portrait of a bouquet and grabbed from the pile. "Yoink! Keep up the good art!" He called as he skipped away.

"Alright, Shuichi! I'll convince you that this is your reality. Even if it takes me forever!"He declared as he bit into a ketchup-covered chicken nugget. Shuichi just chuckled, shaking his head.

"Ah, this can't be my reality, you'd never willingly help someone without something in return." Shuichi joked, taking his salad and biting into it. Kokichi rolled his eyes and took another bite of his food. "But thanks, Kokichi." He added after a few minutes. Kokichi smiled.

Kokichi looked at Kaito. "What about you, wanna discuss your feelings?" He asked the male who had been quietly stuffing his face with food.

"Me? I'm fine." Kaito said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Kokichi just watched with a suspicious gaze. Sure he is... he wouldn't push, though. Not yet.

Ah, why did he even care? It's not like their friends... yeah.

Kokichi shook his head as Hajime stood in the middle of the room, clearing his throat as he got everyone's attention.

"Alright, I've got to introduce everyone, so if I could have your attention!" He said, looking at the room which had quieted. "I'm just going to let everyone introduce themselves actually. Ibuki, you can go first."

"Wahoo! I-bu-ki Mi-o-da! Ibuki Mioda! I'm the ultimate musician, nice to meet ya!" The scene girl shouted, causing a lot of people to jump by the sudden outburst. She got a few greetings back.

"Uh hi! I'm Mahiru Koizumi, ultimate photographer! Nice to meet you-"

"I'm Hiyoko Saionji, the ultimate traditional dancer. All of you filthy pigs could fuck off and die for all I care, but Miharu dragged me along." She interrupted, but before Kokichi could say anything to retort like he had wanted to, someone else began speaking.

"Hello! I am Sonia Nevermind! I am the ultimate princess. Pleased to meet you all!"

"Ah! Miss Sonia, you're too gracious! Ah- uh! I'm Kazuichi Soda! Ultimate mechanic, nice to meet ya." The pink haired male greeted with a faint blush on his face.

"I am Gundam Tanaka! Of the Tanaka Empire! And these are my four dark devas of destruction!" The other scene kid exclaimed, the hamster, two which sat on Sonia's shoulders, squeaked in delight.

"He's- uh- he's the ultimate breeder, go ahead Akane," Hajime explained.

"Alright! I'm Akane Owari! Don't forget it! I'm the ultimate gymnast!" She yelled, a triumphant grin on her face.

"Nekomaru Nidai! I'm the ultimate team manager and I'm gonna train you to be strong!"

"That's- uh- not what we're here for Nekomaru, nevermind... go on Peko."

"I'm Peko Pekoyama. Ultimate Swordswoman." Was all Peko said before sitting down, face emotionless.

"Guess it's my fuckin' turn. I'm-"

"Boss baby," Kokichi called with a small grin. He heard a few snickers and watched as some people on the other side tried to hold back their laughter.

"What the fuck? Who the fuck said that?"

"Hm? Is that not what you're going for?" Kokichi asked, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Ouma-" He heard more than one voice begin.

"Fuck no! I'm not the fuckin' boss baby! I'm Fuyuhiko fucking Kuzuryu! Ultimate Yakuza!"

"Yakuza, but you look as harmless as a- well, baby."

"You wanna fuckin' go?"

"Oh! I would love to, but you may not wanna!"

"Why the fuck not?"

"Well, I am the ultimate supreme leader. I have a loottt of connections to the criminal world! I can ruin your life." He said as his lips curled up into a sinister grin.

"I'll kick your fuckin' ass!" Fuyuhiko said, his face red with anger.

"Feel free to try, I needed new entertainment, things were getting boring!" Kokichi cheered, his eyes widening as his grin grew. Fuyuhiko began to get up only to be pulled back down by Peko.

"Young master, Hajime has requested we protect, not attack." She said calmly, keeping an eye on the purple haired boy across the room.

"Kokichi, don't be starting fights with people who're supposed to help us. Besides, you want people to like you more right?" Kaito scolded, directing the boy's attention back towards him.

"No. I just want them to stop insulting me to my face. I don't give a shit about any of the people here." Kokichi said with a shrug as he pushed himself up. "Sorry, guess you were wrong again!" He said as he began to the exit.

"Where're you going?"

"None of your business."

He walked out and sat on the curb, breathing in the cool air. Why did he enjoy provoking Boss Ba- Fuyuhiko? He was really just getting tired of how peaceful everything was, but why? That's what he was like in the killing game as an act, but perhaps it's just a part of him now. Besides, before with his gang, he always had some adventure, something new; but now everything was bland and just droned on.

He always found it interesting how easily others can become upset, it was always easy to provoke someone. Humanity's odd when it comes to emotions. He's always had good control over his emotions...

So why can't he figure them out now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may just be me, but the end seems bad? I don't know how to fix it and I think if I try it may make it worse, I just don't wanna disappoint anyone,, hnnn
> 
> what to do
> 
> hnn sorry, Kokichi.
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading!! I've done good on my first two exams so :))) hope you liked the chapter more than I did,, thank you for reading.
> 
> If it was disappointing, I agree and I'm sorry, idk what's been up with me,, hnnn :(
> 
> ty for reading though!!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hajime is honestly so done.

Angie had joined him outside not long after he had walked out. She didn't ask any questions, hell, she didn't really say anything. She just sat beside him and scribbled in her sketchbook. After a few minutes of silence, she offered him a clipboard, paper, and a pencil.

Kokichi liked Angie. He wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was because she never questioned his actions. Because she never pushed him to talk or express his emotions. She never expected anything out of him. He appreciated that.

He looked at the picture he was doodling, a grin breaking out on his face as he showed Angie. It was of her with a thumbs up, and it was kinda bad, but she didn't seem to mind. She took the paper and doodled on it for a few minutes before handing it back. Kokichi smirked at the doodle of him beside her with a thumbs up. Under it was "Kokichi and Angie approved" written with a few swirls. Kokichi snickered slightly and continued scribbling as Angie shifted to lounge against him. He didn't mind, it reminded him of what Mayumi use to do while reading.

The two continued doodling until they heard the door to the restaurant open, in which they turned their head simultaneously to the noise.

"Come on, Ouma and Yonaga, Hajime has one more announcement before we leave," Kirumi said from behind them. Angie leaned forward off of Kokichi, allowing him to get up. He offered the girl a hand and they walked in, pencil and paper in hand. The group stared at them as they strolled in and Kokichi grinned lazily, swinging his arms behind his head.

"What were you two talking about?" Hajime asked with a sigh as he strolled back to his seat.

"Oh nothing, just on how slowly taking over the government will eventually lead to my success of taking over the world versus taking over the people. Angie was adding her input about how it could work, both ways, I just need to take action." He chirped with a lazy grin.

"Nevermind. Sorry that I asked." Hajime said as he shook his head. "Anyways! As you know, you'll be going to the dentist, but after that, we were deciding what to do. We agreed to split you into groups with escorts, and we'll let you go shopping. You'll each have a budget of 750 dollars. Thanks should be given to the Future Foundation and the newly restored Togami Corporation." The room broke out into cheers, but Kokichi sat quietly gnawing on his thumbnail.

He'll keep 150 for himself, but how can he get the other 600 to his family? Perhaps he could mail it... hmm.

"Alright, Alright. Now, since we have twenty-nine people, twelve who are fighters or at least are exceptionally strong, we split you into groups of four or five, which has one or two fighters and a lookout. Group one, Tojo and Shinguji with me as fighter and Nagito as the lookout."

"You're a fighter?" Kokichi asked, a small smirk breaking out on his face.

"Well... kinda? If necessary." He explained with a scratch of his head. "Anyways, group two, Kiibo and Iruma with Mikan as lookout and Nekomaru as the fighter. Group three, Amami, Saihara, and Momota with Kyouko and Makoto as fighters, and lookouts."

"Hey! I can fight!" Kaito complained, earning a sigh from Hajime. "Good to know, thanks. Moving on. Group four, Ouma and Yumen-"

"No!"

"Yes, Yumeno thank you."

"What? No! I meant no as in I refuse to let you pair a precious angel with that degenerate male! Take me instead!" Tenko demanded with a shout. Hajime sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Fine! Alright, group four! Chabashira and Ouma, the fighters being Chabashira and Peko with Fuyuhiko as lookout and fighter if needed."

"I swear to fuckin' god, Hajime." Fuyuhiko started angrily.

"I made these lists last night, moving on. Yumeno and Yonaga with Gundam and Sonia, both fighters."

"I wanna go with Miss Sonia! Hajime!" Soda whined, making a loud sigh leave Hajime's lips.

"And Kazukichi with group four. Group five, Gokuhara and Hoshi, Gokuhara as the fighter, with Hiyoko and Miharu as lookouts. Group six, finally, is Ibuki as the lookout with Akamatsu and Harukawa as a fighter. Alright! Done finished! Let's get in the vans we were in before and drive thirty minutes into the city to get to the dentist." He said before walking out. The hoard followed after him with loud chatter, slowly filing back into the appropriate vans.

Kokichi looked out the window as they began driving, and around the ten-minute mark, they had entered the city. Kokichi felt a strange sense of reminiscence. He just didn't know why. Kokichi heard the radio begin a few notes, a grin taking his face. He recognized the song, Eimi played this song all the time.

An idol band had covered the song, making it popular due to the main vocalist Sayaka's vocal range.

"Say I'm the best, and bow to your princess number one! You should know I get my way. Each morning, noon, night and daaaaaay! Ok?" He sang suddenly, directing the song at Shuichi. The detective bit back laughter while the other occupants of the van, who weren't occupied with driving, or watching bug movies on Kyouko's phone, stared at him.

"Of course you fuckin' know this song," Miu exclaimed, laughing loudly. Kiibo muttered something about how he was glad he had a recording feature for evidence. Angie stared at him momentarily before continuing her art.

Upon arriving at the dentist's, Angie handed him a folded piece of paper. He opened it cautiously, a grin breaking out on his face at him drawn in a dress with a crown on his head. He pocketed the image and followed the group in.

"Ah, you must be our patients booked for the day! Right on time! I'll take you in groups of five! Can we first have..." She looked at her computer with squinted eyes, "Yumeno, Ouma, Iruma, Yonaga, and Gokuhara?" The lady asked, pointing to the door on their left. "Right through there, please!" She said with a polite smile.

Fun fact. Kokichi hated the dentists.

He hated the noises, he hated the hands in his mouth, he hated the sharp tools that stabbed and jabbed at his mouth. He absolutely hated the dentists. Almost as much as hated the hospital.

So as he lay on the white bed thingy, he could only feel panic course through him. He looked around the room for means of escape, but his only exit was the door. He felt himself jolt forward towards the door, his legs moving on their own as he made it to the handle. He swung it open only to come face to chest with Hajime.

"Thought so." He muttered with a sigh, blocking him and looking down at him with a disappointed stare.

"What's that supposed to mean, I was only going to the bathroom."

"Mhm, sure. Mikan told me about how you said you didn't like dentists, and seeing how hard you tried to escape visiting her and getting help, I had a feeling you'd do the same here." Hajime said, pushing him lightly back into the room. "You gotta do it."

"No, you're just forcing me to." He huffed in annoyance as the door closed behind him. He sat back on the bed in the deserted room, until eventually, the door opened and a lady walked in.

"Ah, sorry I took so long! I was finishing up on Gokuhara. Only a few cavities considering he was raised by wolves a majority of his life." She said with a small smile. What?

"How'd you know that?"

"Know what?"

"That he was raised... by wolves," Kokichi asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the lady.

"Ah! He told me, it was a little hard to make out, but yeah! I thought it was neat!" She said as she pulled on some gloves. "Now lay back and relax, I'm not gonna hurt you. Promise." She said sweetly as she laid him onto the bed. He tried to relax his nerves, but it was a little hard.

"Hey hey, calm down! I'm just gonna numb your mouth a little so I can fill this chipped tooth. Say ahh."

He mimicked her and closed his eyes, feeling a small pinch in his gum as she administered the sedative. "There you go, now just relax. You won't feel a thing." She said. He did as he was told exhaling lightly. It didn't take too much time, and as she said, he didn't feel a thing.

"See, all good! The numbness will wear off soon, so just wait!" She said as she helped him up. The two walked back to the lobby, Kokichi rubbing his numb cheek as he walked to sit by Angie.

"Next up is Saihara, Momota, Akamatsu, Harukawa, and Amami!" She called as the group followed her in. Angie rested her back against Kokichi's side and continued drawing as they waited for everyone to get through with their appointment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SWEAR IM NOT SHIPPING ANGie and Kokichi, I just want them to have a lovely friendship. Plus this will contribute to his trust issues i think hope ues. AnYWays
> 
> Im heavily debating on giving Kokichi some nice hard Angst, or letting him be ok for once, its a hard desicion. 
> 
> OK Im DOnE!! Ill see yall in the comments and in the next chapter :))) ByE ILY ALL Thnak you!!   
>  :)


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi goes shopping.

Kokichi wiggled his jaw as he walked down the walkway of the mall, the numbness which occupied his jaw vanished a while ago, but it was replaced with a sharp, subtle pain. His eyes trailed over his small group, spotting Tenko staring at him suspiciously, only to quickly look away once he noticed her staring. He looked over to the short male who sulked beside the emotionless girl and rolled his eyes.

"Alright! Here's how we'll do it," He began suddenly, getting the groups attention and breaking the tense silence. "Chabashira! You choose a store you want to shop in first. We'll spend some time there, then I get to choose. So on, so forth. Sound good?" He asked, looking at the faces. Fuyuhiko shrugged, avoiding eye contact with Kokichi, and Peko made no attempt of agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Alright. I want to go there first!" Tenko said, pointing to a store little ways down. Kokichi nodded and gestured for her to lead.

After around thirty minutes in the store, Kokichi sat bored on a stool as Tenko occupied the dressing room. She had been in there for ten of the minutes, and the group had to stick together in case there was any danger, which kept them all waiting for the girl in the room.

"What's taking you so long, hurry up," Kokichi whined, cleaning any dirt from under his nails.

"Sh-Shut up! You wouldn't understand you degenerate male! I have to make sure I look alright for- Nevermind!" She called from the cubical she was dressing behind.

"Yes yes, you want to look your best for your girlfriend. We get it. Come out and we'll help you judge if it means you'll speed up this process."

"She's not my girlfriend! Not yet at least." She retorted, but she opened the curtain blocking her from their eyes and stepped out. Kokichi looked her up and down with a hum of thought. She was wearing waist-high skinny jeans and a tucked in, but loose yellow shirt

"You look fine, now try on your second outfit." Kokichi dismissed with a wave of his hand as she examined herself in the mirror.

"Ah, about that, I don't exactly have one."

"What? You've been in there for 10 minutes with only one outfit?" He asked with a glance of annoyance.

"What? You wouldn't understand! It's hard for girls! You're just a degenerate male!" She exclaimed with a flushed face, obviously embarrassed.

"Alright, get changed. I'll be back." He said as he pushed himself up and began to walk off.

"Where're you going?" Fuyuhiko called behind him. "I'm gonna go look for the feminist some clothes. She obviously can't find some herself." He explained as he walked backward, his eyes were locked on Fuyuhiko's.

"Peko, you stay with Chabashira until she's changed. I'll go with the squeaky-voiced fucker." Fuyuhiko said as he followed behind Kokichi.

"Your voice is worse than mine," Kokichi replied with a small grin as he took a left through an aisle. He tapped his chin in thought at the clothing lining the racks. A few minutes later Tenko and Peko had joined him.

"Pick a design or two that you like," Kokichi said, gesturing to the pants.

"Yoga pants?" Tenko asked skeptically, but she skimmed through the designs nonetheless, pulling a couple clothing pieces out. "Wait! You just want me to wear these cause you're some creepy pervert who wants to stare at my butt!" Tenko accused in alarm.

"Don't be stupid. I'm just as gay as you are." He said with an eye-roll. This seemed to calm her slightly as she untensed and looked back to the clothing in her hand.

"You better not make me look ugly or anything." She muttered after a second as she looked back up at him. "Well, what next?"

"Come on. Yoga pants go best with crop tops or sports bras. Especially with your figure." He said with a sigh as he led her to another section.

"W-What do you mean my figure?! I swear I'll drop you in a second flat if you try anything." She said defensively, wearily keeping her distance from the male as he examined the clothing.

"I mean that you have a nice body. God, just take a compliment, besides, I already said I'm gay. It's not a lie for once." He said as he pulled out a simple black cropped hoodie. "Solid colors go well with pants which have a pattern or design." He explained as he grabbed the blue yoga pants which looked as though their design was attempting to replicate water. Tenko pulled out a sports bra which was light pink while the yoga pants she held were green and floral like. Kokichi nodded slowly in approval.

"Ok, yoga pants are usually a one size fits all, and you should know your size for sweatshirts and bras. So can we check out-" Kokichi spun around and spotted Tenko staring at the dress section? Only for a second, though, but he understood humans enough to know her want. "Never took you for the skirt and dresses type. Alright, come on." He said as he dragged her with him.

"Huh? N-no, it's ok, I don't look good in dresses."

"Oh well, we're here already. Go on, pick out some stuff." He said as he scanned the aisle alongside her.

They only ended up staying in the store for another hour before checking out. It was about 2 weeks of clothes Tenko had bought from the store, with help from Kokichi, but she seemed content with her purchases.

"Alright, my turn to choose." He hummed as they exited and he scanned the stores. His eyes landed on one that claimed it had cheap prices on it's advertising posters and decided that was probably his best choice for inexpensive clothes. He began towards the store, the group following silently behind him. He strolled through the entrance, the cashier called a small welcome from where she worked helping someone. Kokichi returned the greeting and hurried down towards his favorite aisle.

Huh... favorite? This place was strangely familiar.

"Ouma, we're here for clothes, not comics," Peko said coolly from behind him. Kokichi blinked as he examined what was apparently his favorite aisle. He had faint memories of occupying this aisle when he was younger to read some comics while he could. Kokichi shook his head clear of the memories.

"Oh, right, sorry." He said as he spun around and began to the clothes, grabbing some jeans which seemed to be his size. Pants weren't his main concern, to be honest. He found picking them out was fairly easy. Shirts were easy too, but he still liked to find designs he liked. He's learned to not be too picky when it comes to cheap things, though.

He bit his thumb in thought as he looked through the shirts. He had a plain white one in his hand, a dark purple sweater, a loose grey one, and a few more with simple designs on it.

"Ouma?" He heard an older voice call from behind him, causing him to spin around with a curious look.

"Miss Suzuki?" He asked as he examined the older lady, a warm smile rose to her face as she engulfed him in a hug. Kokichi saw Peko and Tenko ready in a fighting position, but he motioned them to relax.

"Gosh, I haven't seen you in... years! How're you doing son? I got lonely after you stopped visiting every week after school!" She exclaimed with a warm smile.

"Ah, I'm sorry, we moved! I'm doing ok, my friends and I are just here on a road trip." He lied with a smile, the group watched from the sidelines with a curious stare.

"Ah, that's good! I'm glad to see you again, son! Tell your parents I said hi. I hope they've gotten easier on you! I have to get back to work, but it was good seeing you!" The older lady said with a wave as she retreated somewhere behind the aisle.

"Bye!" He called after her with a wave before frowning slightly and returning to picking at clothes.

That's why this place was so familiar. He used to live in this town before he ran away. He would try to come here once a week after school if he had spare lunch money, and needed clothes or entertainment of sorts. He enjoyed the comic section, in fact, the comics were a major inspiration for DICE. He grew closer to the lady who owned the store, Miss Suzuki, but he couldn't visit her much after he ran away.

"Who was that?" Tenko asked from behind him, cutting into his reminiscing.

"No one. Come on, I'm done!" He said as he spun around with a smile. He carried his pile of clothes towards the register, only to freeze in front of the shoe section. "Hold these." He said as he tossed the clothes at the trio following him. He rushed over to the shelf holding the shoes, almost tripping as he examined a pair.

"Please, please, please... Yes!" He exclaimed as he snatched them off the shelf and rushed back, taking the clothes back excitedly.

"What're you so fuckin' happy about?" Fuyuhiko asked, receiving a grin from Kokichi.

"I just got myself 40 dollar Heelys."

The four walked out of the store, his bag of clothes swaying beside him as he strolled down the walkway.

As they neared the mall entrance, he spotted a few groups waiting boredly near the fountain and windowed exit. "Hey, Kokichi!"

He heard someone call him as he walked toward the groups. He easily spotted Kaito waving him down as he sat beside Shuichi who waved with a smile. He began towards them, taking a seat on the bench they had been seated at with a sigh.

"Shopping is too tiring." He exclaimed as he rubbed his aching jaw. He let his eyes trail over to the glass entrance, staring out at the street and stores across the ways. His eyes caught on a figure emerging from the alleyway, eyes widening in surprise and recognition.

What was she doing here? He shot up, only to freeze as more figures emerged. He watched in horror as his teammate, Eimi, began to limp away from the figures.

She was... She was hurt. But Kokichi couldn't do anything, as he was frozen in his spot.

It happened in an instant, the figures that had emerged behind her had raised a gun.

Kokichi collapsed on his knees at the same time Eimi's limp body hit the ground. He felt a scream risen in his throat, but no noise left him. Tears brimmed his eyes, and voices were muffled around him.

"-chi."

He watched as people idly strolled past her body. Didn't they see her? Didn't they care? He felt hands shaking his limp form.

"Ko...ichi."

He felt his hands raise to his hair, gripping it tightly as his head sank towards his lap.

"Kokichi!" He was pulled out of his trance by a loud voice, and he noticed Kaito and Shuichi were now in front of him. He knew there were others around him, but he only could focus on them, they also didn't seem to notice his actions. They were too busy with their own conversations. "Kokichi, are you ok?" He heard Kaito asked.

Why? Why did it matter if he was ok? Eimi was over there, dead on the sidewalk.

"E-Eimi. She needs help. She's dying. She's on the sidewalk." This caused the two to look behind themselves, but they turned around with a confused expression.

"Kokichi, no one's there?" Shuichi said, causing the boy to shoot up, looking behind the two who were seated in front of him. He stared at the empty sidewalk confused, her body was gone. No blood stain, no sign she was even there. Kokichi absent-mindedly rubbed his aching jaw.

"I saw her die." He muttered, biting his thumb in thought. "Wh-what?" He sat on the bench, still gnawing his thumb in thought, causing Kaito to pull Kokichi's arm away 'before he hurt himself'. What did he see then?

"Kokichi, I can assure you nobody was killed. I would have seen it if they were, in fact, multiple people would've. This isn't too busy of a street, but it still has pedestrians. " Shuichi reassured from beside him, patting his shoulder comfortingly. Kokichi nodded, sighing.

"Maybe I'm just tired."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM NOT SURE HOW MUCH I LIKED THIS OnE? 
> 
> IT COULD BE BETTER, BUT I FEEL BAD BC I HAVENT WRITTEN ANY FOR THE STORY THIS WEEK :(( 
> 
> IVE BEEN BUSY WITH EXAMS, BUT IVE ALSO BEEN PROCRASTINATING NGL AND IM SORRY!!
> 
> I HOPE YOU DONT MIND THE CHAPTER, AND I LOVE YOU ALL FOR STICKING AROUND DESPITE MY SLOW UPLOADS.
> 
> ILL TRY TO UPLOAD AGAIN BEFORE FRIDAY, BUT WEEKEND UPLOADS MAY BE A LITTLE HARD BC IM GOING ON A TRIP,,,
> 
> Anyways!! ILY ALL :) Thank you for reading!! Im sorry if this is a little confusing, but it'll be explained later i swear!! Also!! If you have any ideas on what you think is going on,, please tell me bc i wanna see who guesses it?? anyways! Thankyou!! and im sorry!!
> 
> I posted!! Chapter 27!! on January!! 27!! 2027!!


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi convinces Hajime and tries to figure things out.

Kokichi stared at the floor, biting his nail. "I don't know how I could've even thought Mayumi would be here. We agreed to stay away from this city." He muttered as he paced in front of the two males who watched from the bench where they sat.

"Kokichi, you should calm down a little. It's not too big of a deal. You're just tired." Kaito insisted, relaxing against the seat. Kokichi swung his head to face the male with a small head shake.

"That can't be true either, in fact, I feel more awake than I have the past few days," Kokichi replied with a matter-of-fact voice.

"That's probably not healthy," Shuichi added with a nervous smile.

"You don't get to lecture me, mister. I see those bags under your eyes." Kokichi accused with a small smirk, which grew as he watched Shuichi shift away from Kaito who began to examine him. "I don't know what that hallucination was, and it's harder to think with this pain." He muttered as he rubbed his cheek.

"Oh? You got your tooth filled right? It was chipped?" Shuichi asked. Kokichi took notice at how Kaito seemed to recoil at the conversation topic.

"Yeah, it really wasn't a big deal though. She was nice, but something about her felt wrong." He muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Oh, the blonde curly haired lady? I thought she was nice." Kaito said from where he sat. Kokichi stared at him confused.

"No, no. The black haired lady who came to get the next group. Didn't she treat either of you?" Kokichi asked. earning a confused look when all he received was two heads shaking. "One second... Gonta!" He called back to the bigger male who was chatting beside Ryoma. Gonta excused himself and made his way over, smiling brightly.

"Kokichi want Gonta?"

"Yeah, what'd your dentist look like?"

"Oh, he was very nice! A gentleman! He-"

"He?" Kokichi asked as he stilled, his eyes narrowing suspiciously as he examined Gonta, who seemed to be telling the truth. "What color was his hair? Was it long, black, and wavy?"

"He no have hair, Gonta think." Gonta said after a moment of thinking.

"I see... one more thing. Did you tell him about your wolf family?" Kokichi asked, causing an immediate 'no' to come from Gonta.

"Kirumi tell Gonta that Gonta family is only for Gonta friends to know. Gonta no tell." He said honestly, Kokichi nodded and excused him to go back to chatting with Ryoma. Kokichi sighed as he stared silently at the ground.

This didn't add up.

"Hey, what's up Kokichi?" Kaito asked, causing his head to rise to meet the other male's who stared at him confused.

"It... It doesn't make sense." Kokichi muttered, blinking before smiling. "Ah, it's nothing!" He lied. He'll figure it out, he didn't need to make others worry.

"That's a drastic change of tone, what's wrong Kokichi?" Shuichi asked, Kokichi just rolled his eyes.

"I said nothing, riiight? God, aren't friends supposed to trust each other?" Kokichi asked before directing his attention to Kaito. "Hey, what was that dumb news thing I saw on TV earlier?" He asked, recalling to television he watched as Tenko checked out. He could've sworn it was-

"That's right! There's gonna be one of the biggest meteor showers in the last 20 years tonight! Damn it. I'm not even gonna get to see it." Kaito said, his mood dropping as a realization hit him. Kokichi watched his frown grow, causing him to also mirror his frown. He looked around the court that the party occupied, most of the groups were back. They were only missing a few groups, such as Miu's and Himiko's. He eventually spotted the one person he was looking for sitting on a bench.

"I'll be right back." Kokichi hummed as he skipped away, his grin growing when Hajime spotted him and frowned. Hajime quickly looked away in a weak attempt to avoid him. It didn't work.

"Hey Nagito," Kokichi said, skipping past the male who oh so wanted to avoid him. "I have an amazing idea! You know, to grow our hope and all." He said before pulling the boy down and whispering in his ear. By the time Hajime realized what Kokichi was doing, it was too late.

"That's a great idea! Hajime, Ouma had the wonderful idea of doing a grill out or camp out and watching the meteor shower!" Komeada stared, tugging on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Think of the experiences!"

"Think of the expenses." Hajime groaned, his face falling into his hands.

"Come on, Hajime. Listen to your boyfriend. We wanna go camping!" Kokichi pouted, a look of annoyance growing on his face. "I will start screaming." He threatened.

"And when we invite your families to visit, I won't invite your gang of tricksters. I won't lose this battle Kokichi Ouma." He retorted back with an annoyed glare. Kokichi quieted at that, his mouth opened but nothing came out. He closed it and spun around, a frown painting his face.

"That's an empty threat. Anyways, how about you listen before you go making dumbass decisions without thinking. So! How about we use some of the money left over from everybody's shopping trip to pay for it. You know, like every one chime in about twenty dollars? That'd be plenty, right?" He suggested, his tone seeping with annoyance as he watched Hajime who stared at him with a sheepish look.

"Ye-yeah, it should be. If everyone agrees to give some money, then fine, we'll do it. And I know a place that has a good view around here that we can go for a good price." He muttered after a moment of thinking, a sigh leaving him. "I guess you win again."

"Good choice." Kokichi chirped, skipping over to an empty bench, relieved to see that the last few groups had arrived. He climbed up, standing on the bench looming over the groups with a grin. The chatter slowly began to cease, and attention was brought to him.

"Aww, darn! I don't get to shout. Anyways, you all got loads of money, you're basically rich now! Soo! You should give it all to me!" He said with a grin, cries of objection filled the air.

"What makes you think we'd do that?" Miu shouted, a glare painting her face.

"Well, you see, as an ultimate supreme leader, funds are getting low for doing evil and all, so I need more money!" He called with a grin, only for his head to swing towards a voice cutting through the chatter he caused.

"What's your real plan, Kokichi?" Shuichi asked a small amused smile painted on his face as he seemed too slightly figure out Kokichi's intents.

"Ya caught me! Ok, be honest with yourselves. You're tired of being bunched in this house, right?" He asked, watching the crowd nod their head, a few murmurs of agreement. "So, if you all just give, like, thirty dollars- you know what. I'll be generous. Give me twenty dollars, and we can take a camping trip and watch the meteor showers for a night. We'll even have a cookout! Doesn't that seem worth twenty or thirty dollars?" He asked, untying his bandana as he already knew the answer.

He walked around, collecting the money in his bandana, smirking slyly as he peeked over to Hajime who just rolled his eyes. "Thank you." He sang as he looked at the money piled into his bandana. "Oh Hajime, is this enough?" He asked as he skipped over, watching the male nod silently, avoiding eye contact. "Good, let's go then." He tied the bandana into a knot, keeping the money inside and strolled back over to his duo.

"You did that for me?" Kaito asked with a grin painted across his face. Kokichi rolled his eyes, cradling the money as the group began to move and filter out.

"No. Don't be stupid." He sighed. A small grin found a way to his face. "I did it for the money, you think I'm giving this up? Anyways, come on, we want food and tents, right?" He asked, skipping ahead to the van. He spun around to face the two, finding them smiling brightly at him. He rolled his eyes, "It's not as big of a deal as you're making it. If you don't hurry we aren't gonna go anywhere, come on." He muttered, watching Shuichi climb into the van. Dummy, he needed to get in too. Now, most people would ask said obstacle to get out or go to the other door, but Kokichi isn't most people.

Instead, he crawled over Shuichi, accidentally kneeing him multiple times.

"Was that necessary?"

"Completely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how much i liked this one, Like m os t of my chapters,, whoops
> 
> aaaa im so tired, so im not gonna write much
> 
> anyways! I was at Edelweiss for a vacation!! And it was really fun!! but i didn't get to update any, and im sorry :(( 
> 
> anyways we were doing a blood test this morning, and I passed out whOOPs!! It wasn't because of the blood, i've seen my blood before, it's chill im just like yo whats up blood, and it's like yo whats up. and it wasnt the needle thing bc ive gotten shots before, it just runs in the family. we pass out from getting blud out by needle ig? idk man heck
> 
> im so tired  
> who gave me access to the internet and why? 
> 
> ily all and im sorry and good nightt!


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi starts a war.

After delivering the money he had organized during the ride to Hajime, Kokichi skipped over to Gonta.

"Hey, hey," Kokichi pulled Gonta down and whispered in his ear, ignoring the pairs of eyes he felt on him. "That's the plan, ok?" He finished, jumping on the male's crouched figure and climbing up to his shoulders with ease. It was as though he practiced climbing up humans. As though he had perfected the skill.

"Gonta think he understands..." Gonta started, but Kokichi patted his head in response.

"You don't need to understand, just follow my directions! Run."

"Kokichi where are you-" Shuichi started, but Gonta took off into a sprint, carrying the smaller male away out of sight. "That can't be good." He muttered to himself as Kaito came up beside him.

Kokichi directed Gonta through the aisles, sitting upon his shoulders as a king would on a throne. They were far enough from the group, and no one seemed to be following Kokichi and Gonta. The two walked around in a comfortable silence, Gonta only randomly asking questions on the plan every now and then.

"This no make others upset, right?" Gonta asked. Kokichi opened his mouth to respond but stopped to think about it. It shouldn't make people upset, his friends were never upset when he'd pull these kinds of pranks on them.

But this is different, right? They don't like or care about him as much. Hell, he'd be shocked if even half of them considered him a friend. So would they dislike his plan? Probably, but-

"Kokichi?"

"If they do dislike it, they won't be upset with you. Just blame it on me." Kokichi said pointing to the left. Gonta stopped in his tracks, however, trying to peek up at the boy on his shoulders.

"But Gonta no want his friends to be upset with you, Kokichi."

"Gonta, it'll be fine. If it makes you feel better, I did this a lot with my friends." Kokichi reassured, seemingly it seemed to work because Gonta reluctantly continued.

"Oh look, tents! We can go ahead and grab some," He exclaimed as he climbed down the tall male. "Hmm, I'll just grab a bunch. Gonta, hold out your arms." Kokichi started piling the bundles of tents into the male's arms. "Ok let's continue."

Kokichi eventually made it to the aisle he destined for. The toy aisle. He skipped down, grinning at what he found. He quickly grabbed armfuls of the aerosol cans, skipping back to Gonta with a triumphant grin. "Got it. Hold some of these." He piled some of the cans into his arms, before climbing back up his back to his shoulders. "On to the food aisles. They'll be there looking for food for tonight's camping."

"Alright, but Gonta have a question. What is ca-comp-"

"Camping?"

"Yeah, Gonta no know what camp-ing is."

"Well, it's sleeping outdoors. You say overnight in a tent outside instead of in a home." Kokichi explained, pointing him in the directions to go. "You use to do it a lot, so it won't be too significant to you."

"Gonta understands! Gonta get to show friends bugs and stars, right?" Kokichi nodded but realized Gonta couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone will love it," Kokichi said honestly before spotting a certain feminist. "Hey, Chabashira!" The girl spun around at the call, quickly spotting the two and standing in defense.

"I don't know what you're up to, Ouma, but leave me out of it."

"Come onn! Let me explain first. Besides, you do want to grant immunity to a certain witch, correct?"

"Immunity from what? I swear I'll kill you if you lay even a finger on her." Tenko threatened, but she dropped her defense nonetheless and walked slightly closer.

"Yeah yeah, anyways..." He tossed an aerosol can at the girl who caught it with ease and examined it.

"Silly string... what?"

"It's not that hard, just shoot some degenerate males with silly string. Look, it's even green like you. "

"I...I'm white."

"I thought you were lesbian."

"Nevermind. I- This actually sounds like fun. So I'll join in, but don't you dare target precious Himiko!" She exclaimed, aiming the can of string at him threateningly. He held his hands up in defense.

"Wouldn't think of it, I only ask one favor. Send Angie and Miu to me. Here take another green too. Oh, and Kaito and Shuichi are mine." He said, before waving her off in dismissal.

Tenko went through with her part of the deal, and Miu and Angie rounded a corner, looking around in confusion. They hadn't seemed to find Gonta and Kokichi's hiding spot yet. "Psst." He hissed, causing them to turn simultaneously towards his call, Miu crying out in alarm as the two emerged.

"Fuckin' hell! What are you two fucking perverts doing hiding and watching girls?"

"Oh stop running your worthless mouth and listen." He said, grabbing the pink and yellow cans of silly string. "I'm starting an army, you can either join or fall victim to the slaughter." He explained, tossing the cans at the two.

"I see, I see! You are threatening us!" Angie exclaimed happily as she examined the can.

"Yep! So? Can we hurry this up? I was kinda hoping for little resistance, more thoughtless devotion." Kokichi said as he climbed off of Gonta's shoulders.

"Fuckin' idiot! You gave us weapons, we could easily turn against you and escape!"

"Ah Hah! But I wouldn't have given them to you if I hadn't believed you would join my army. Besides, I have Gonta and more silly string. I'm not stupid you know."

"F-Fine, I'm in. Besides, I'm gonna have so much fuckin' fun with this."

"Angie?"

"It is Atua's will!"

"That's a yes, it's a go. Leave Shuichi and Kaito for me. Oh here, take an extra of your color. Miu, take three pinks, and if you run into Kaede, offer her one. Split team." The two rushed off with their instructions, Kokichi climbed onto Gonta's shoulders and the two began down the aisles in search for Kokichi's targets.

They eventually found them, examining the snack aisle with Maki by their side. Kokichi sent Gonta off to hide and climbed down. "I'll be back, wait here." He said with a grin, getting a nod from Gonta as he rushed back to the aisle he had spotted the three on.

"Oh- Kokichi! Where were you? What'd you run off with Gonta for?" Shuichi began asking, but Kokichi only slowly walked closer, which only received worried and suspicious looks from the three. "Kokich-."

He began dual spraying the three, laughter spilling out from his lips as they fought back against the purple string covering them. It was about a minute before the two cans ran out, but they eventually did, and the three were covered in the purple stringy material.

Kaito and Shuichi quickly pulled at the string and cleared their face, but Maki just stood there, unmoving. Kokichi was still giggling to himself, and though he didn't notice it, the anger and irritation that possessed Shuichi's and Kaito's face vanished at the sight of the giggling boy in front of them.

The giggles weren't those cheap 'nishishi' ones, no, these were genuine. Maki didn't seem to feel as forgiving as Kaito and Shuichi, though, as she pulled the string from her face after a while. Kokichi's laughter slowed as he saw the raw anger that was Maki. Luckily, he didn't have to die today. Maki opened her mouth to speak but shut it as a voice came from behind her.

"Hey, Maki!" Kaede called from behind, causing her to spin around, only for her face to be covered in pink silly string. Kaede stopped after a second, unlike Kokichi who had continued on with the spray prior. Maki cleared her face once more.

"Do you want to die?" She asked, but it lacked the malice she once had. Kaede just grinned and waved her off.

"Relax! It was just a joke! It's all for fun!" She said, unnoticing to Maki's lingering eyes on the can. Maki quickly snatched the aerosol can from her hand and spun towards Kokichi, not hesitating on pressing the trigger. A cry quickly left Kokichi, followed by a short 'bleh it's in my mouth'. Maki didn't stop until the can was empty.

"Huh, that was fun." Was all Maki said, a small grin on her face as Kokichi struggled to clean his face of the string. He was still smiling brightly.

"Excuse me, I'm gonna have to ask you to pay for those and take this outside. Sorry, but this isn't the kind of behavior we permit in the store." An employee started, smiling sympathetically at the group. Kokichi peeked behind her at the rest of his classmates, some who were clean, some covered in string.

"Of course ma'am! Sorry to bother you, come on guys. We can wait for Hajime and the others outside, I'll go tell Gonta and pay. Go ahead out." The group seemed to agree and headed to the exit without him. Kokichi went on to Gonta, explaining him the situation and telling him what to do and to find Hajime. He agreed and Kokichi continued to the front, paying for probably more cans than he used, just because he wasn't certain, so he scanned one about 15 times.

Upon exiting the store, Kokichi examined the group chatting along the store's wall, smiling at the damage done to the group. Those who perhaps had it the worst was Kiibo, Korekiyo, Shuichi, Kaito, Maki. Ryoma was lightly sprayed with yellow, as well as Kirumi, and Himiko was somewhat covered in yellow. Now that he noticed, Angie was somewhat covered in green string.

Oops, he forgot to tell the other two of the no firing at Himiko rule.

He smiled brightly at everyone talking and laughing amongst one another... because...

No one seemed upset.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii!! How are y'all?
> 
> GOod goOD?? Neat! and if not! Not neat! feel free to rant to me if needed im a sympathiser!
> 
> Im in a good mood, and I dont plan on expressing issues anymore with personal life on here because no one likes a problematic author whoOps!! 
> 
> anyways ily all and I hope I can update sooner than I have! It's all about time management and not being lazy, two things Im awful at.  
> shoot  
> .
> 
> anyways ily and ty for reading!!


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camping is pretty fun!

"Ouma, can you shut up and please just light the fire?"

"Ohh! You trust me with fire, huh? In a forest? Bold choice."

"Nevermind, I take it back. Hand me the matches."

"Ah ah, Hajime. You told me to light the fire!"

"Saihara, please help me out." Hajime pleaded, giving the boy who stood to the side watching the male who had a pitiful and tired look.

"Kokichi, give him the matches."

"Hmmm, almost convinced me, but nope!" He chirped, dodging all of Hajime's attempts to grab the matches from him.

"Sorry, that's the most I can do," Shuichi said apologetically, earning a grin from Kokichi and a look of confusion from Hajime.

"What do you mean-"

"Trust me, we've tried to retrieve objects and items from him. It just doesn't work." Shuichi explained, watching Kokichi strike a match on the side of the box and almost drop it.

"Ah, you know me too well my beloved Shuichi!" He said with a grin before tossing the lit match onto the dry leaves piling the wood. "See! That wasn't too hard! I'll keep these for later!" He said, shoving the box into a pocket and sprinting off before Hajime could protest. He heard faint cries in the distance as he sprinted away.

"Nyeh, Ouma?" He heard a voice call as he slowed his pace to a stroll. He peeked over his shoulder at the mage who sat on a log, staring at him curiously.

"Oh, heya Himiko!" He greeted with a grin, spinning to face her fully. "Whatcha doin'? I would've thought you'd be with Tenko or somethin'." He added, before spinning around and exploring the wooded area around the two. He found a nice stick.

A good sticky boyo.

What had his life come to?

"Nyeh, she had to go pee." She explained, picking at the wood on the tree while watching him swing around the stick like a sword.

"Watch out, Himiko! I'll protect you!" He heard from behind him, spinning around just in time to jump back as a stick was swung his direction. After steadying himself, he took a second to look at the scene in front of him.

Tenko stood in a fighting position, wooden stick in hand, holding it as if it were a sword. Kokichi smirked and copied her stance with a grin, his stick clutched tightly in his hands. "Finally! A worthy competitor!" He cheered before swinging the stick at her. She blocked it and returned the action, aiming at Kokichi's legs, but the male was able to jump in time before the object could make an impact with him.

The two continued dueling for a few minutes, Himiko cheering Tenko on lazily as the girl swung at his "sword" once more. Kokichi, knowing when to give up, let the piece of wood fly out of his hands once struck. "Ah! You've caught me. Or... have you?" He exclaimed, before spinning on his heel and sprinting off down another trail. He only peeked behind him once to see Himiko waving as she stood by a victorious looking Tenko.

He continued down another hill, making sure to keep track of where he had come from in order to not get lost. He came to a stop as he neared an opening, however, staring at the wide open lake. It had obviously been visited a lot based on the wooden pier connecting the lake. It looked sturdy enough to walk on, but he didn't fully want to risk it with the necessary knowledge that he couldn't swim.

"No, we don't have time to learn an unnecessary skill like swimming. You need to focus on your studies." He could almost hear all of the rejections his parents would spew out. It wasn't just for swimming. They wanted every little moment of his day to be filled with his studies. Like they always said, "Knowledge has a beginning but no end."

Perhaps if they had had more children they wouldn't have been so hard on Ouma? Kokichi only had one sibling, an older brother to be exact. From what he could tell, they were too lenient and neglectful with him, and although they did neglect Ouma, they were far from lenient. Kokichi hadn't known his brother that much, in fact, his parents only referred to his brother as 'the mistake' of the family. He could barely remember his name... he was so young when he left. What was it again?

It didn't matter, Kokichi hated him. His brother had left him, he never even to come back to help him. If he remembered correctly, his brother was a high school dropout? He was never talked too much about from his parents when they did talk to him. Anyways, he was a high school dropout and a runaway, and an utter embarrassment to the Ouma household. His parents are pretty high ranked members of their city, so they were quite alarmed when their name covered the news on the talk of their runaway son. Kokichi was supposed to be their golden child. Ironic how he was their middle school dropout runaway.

Kokichi shook his head at the remenecsince and zoned back into staring at the lake. He felt something damp on his cheek and reached up, touching it lightly.

Huh. Was it raining?

No, it was perfectly clear. Oh well.

Kokichi began back towards the camp, recalling his steps with ease, the water on his cheeks long dried as he approached the campsite with a grin.

"Hey, kids! Wanna go swimming?" He asked, gathering the group's attention.

"Where?" Kaito asked, stupidly.

"Oh you know, just in the sewage system- in a lake, dumbo." He said, rolling his eyes. The group seemed to light up at mentions of a lake, but Shuichi, being the buzzkill he is, had to interrupt.

"Ah, but we don't have swimsuits?" He asked confused, but Miu shot up triumphantly.

"Let's go nude-"

"-or! We can swim in our clothes. We have a change of clothes in the van, right?" Kokichi interrupted, earning some murmurs of agreement.

"But, buut! Angie bought a bathing suit in the mall because Atua said so!" Angie pitched in, a few people also voicing that they had also bought swimwear.

"Then change? It's not that hard of a concept to grasp. Everyone get ready and meet me here in five minutes or I'm leaving you!"

"Hold it! How do we know you aren't gonna murder us? Or even worse! How do we know you aren't doing this to get a look at Himiko in a bathing suit!" Tenko accused, receiving an eye-roll from Kokichi.

"God Chabashira, you're so dumb! Listen, I am G-A-Y, also there is zero reason for me to start a murder game. Especially not in a campsite, what is this? A cheesy horror movie?" He asked with a loud sigh. "Anyways, go!" He said, shooing the group off.

Everyone changed, even those who claimed they weren't swimming, like Korekiyo and Kirumi, and Kokichi himself. Kokichi assumed they just wanted to get out of their irritating clothes and into something comfy, that's what he wanted.

Kokichi, despite claiming he'd leave anyone who wasn't back by five minutes, waited until the whole group was back to depart. He led them down the path he had memorized and came to the lake, a triumphant grin on his face at the cheers behind him. He watched from a distance as the group began to fill the water. Kaito, claiming "I'm not scared," ran from the pier and dived into the lake. Not the brightest idea because as he emerged, he started whining about how cold it was. Kokichi snickered, watching as Shuichi, Maki, and Kaede swam over to meet him.

It seemed the ones who shopped in pairs shared the idea of a bathing suit. Angie and Himiko had one, as well as Maki and Kaede, and even Gonta and Ryoma. Kokichi spotted Kirumi and Korekiyo on the pier, both of them reading a book with their feet dipped in the water.

That seemed like a nice idea, and the pier seemed stable, so he made his way beside the two, taking a seat between them. "Hello, Ouma." Kirumi greeted, Korekiyo following after with a small "Greetings, Ouma." Kokichi returned a hello and watched Kaito dunk Shuichi underwater.

"Why aren't you swimming? This was your idea." Kirumi asked, looking up from her book and over at the male who only shrugged.

"I don't like lake water, moss is nasty and stuff." He replied, taking off his socks and shoes and tapping the water with his toe. Should he just admit that he can't swim? Probably. Would he ever? Nope!

"I see," Kirumi responded.

"Hey mom, why don't you like swimming?"

"The idea of it is fond, but I'd just prefer sitting by one and reading." She explained, before flipping the page in her book.

"I see, I'll let you do that." He hummed as he watched the group of three swims closer to him. Wait... where'd Kaito go?

He found that his question was answered when a pair of wet arms wrapped around him quickly. Before he had time to react, he was tossed into the water, the only noise of protest was a small scream escaping him.

Kokichi landed in the water with a loud crash, distorted laughter from above him was all he could hear as he thrashed around. Scratch that, the sound of his heartbeat was loud in his ears. He was thrown too far from the pier to grab onto it. All he could do was watch the bubbles leave him as he sunk further away from the surface, unable to escape his sinking as he heard Kirumi scolding Kaito.

That sound, too, faded.

He was gonna die. He was gonna die. He was gonna die. He was gonna-

Soon enough, blackness engulfed his vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H i  
> ...  
> ..  
> .  
> hope you liked.
> 
> enjoyed.
> 
> b y e


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi is probably alright.

Kokichi peeled his eyes open, looking at the blurs around him with a confused look.

"Kokichi, stay with-" He heard someone start, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He blinked once more to try to make out those around him. It didn't help much. He decided one more blink would probably help, but once he closed his eyes he couldn't find the strength to open them again.

So he kept them closed.

The next time Kokichi opened his eyes, he found it much easier to function. His first observation was hushed chatter, he could just barely make out what they were saying.

"Are you sure he's ok-"

"Momota, please. I'm sure he'll be fine with the proper amount of rest. Y-you all should go get some food! It isn't beneficial to Ouma if you are all malnourished when he awakes, is it?" He could've sworn that was Mikan's voice. He rolled his eyes, his senses just now picking up on the smell of cooked meat which filled his nose.

"Ah, she's right Kaito. We should get some food- Oh Maki." Shuichi said with surprise. Kokichi wanted to look over but he didn't want to expose himself and his eavesdropping.

"Are you here to check up on Kokichi too?" Kaito asked, what an idiot. Apparently, his question was answered with a silent action because he quickly responded with an "Ah I see."

"I only came to bring you and Shuichi a plate. Let's get one thing straight Kaito, I don't mind you and Shuichi. When it comes to Ouma, however, I don't care if he lives or dies. What so ever. I don't like him." She said cooly before he heard footsteps. He assumed she was walking away.

"Wait, then why save him? You said you didn't care if he lived or died, right?" Kaito asked in confusion as the footsteps halted.

"You're an idiot. Do I have to spell it out for you? You and Shuichi are my friends. And though I can handle, and honestly prefer the death of that brat, you don't need the blood or guilt on your hands. Plus you're too much of a wuss to handle deaths again." She said, before continuing to walk away again. She didn't stop again.

"Himiko! Angie! I got us food! Has he woken up yet?" He heard Tenko call loudly, cutting through the silence and making him slightly flinch.

"Nyeh, no. He's still asleep."

"Atua says he will be ok!" Angie cheered, though she sounded a little less carefree than usual. Kokichi could understand Kaito and Shuichi being there, they're like leeches. Hell, he even understood Angie being there, but why was Himiko there, and even more bizarre, Tenko. Actually, Tenko is Himiko's personal leech, so it isn't too crazy.

"You 5 should go change into some night clothes and get ready for the meteor shower. Ouma will be fine by himself for five minutes." Kirumi suggests, she could feel her eyes on him. Ah, if they left this would be a good opportunity to sneak away to someplace quieter, where it would be less hectic and about him.

"You three go ahead, we can take turns watching him." Shuichi offered, receiving murmurs of agreement. Damn, there goes his chance of slipping away. Kokichi let out a small exhale as he heard the footsteps fade.

It was silent for a few seconds. "Shuichi, what're you doing?"

"Just checking something." Was the boy's brief response. "I see. Kokichi, I know you're awake."

"What're you talking about-"

Kokichi sighed, his cover was blown. He opened his eyes, jumping in alarm as he had not expected Shuichi to be hovering so close above his face. "Back up," He quickly said but found his voice was scratchy and his throat ached when he spoke. His hand instinctively rubbed at his throat, sitting up as Shuichi backed away. Kaito was quickly by his side, offering him a bottle of water, which caused him to snort as he took it from him.

He already had enough of that, don't ya think?

"Kokichi, I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you couldn't swim. I wouldn't have thrown you in if I just knew-"

"Kaito, It's fine. Stop beating yourself up. As Maki said, it doesn't matter if I live or die- I mean, you saw how much people were here to care for me? 5."

"No- Kokichi that's not true!" Shuichi quickly protest. Kokichi swung to face him.

"Ironic, you're the one who said that I'm, and I quote, alone and always will be." This seemed to shut them both up. Kokichi didn't know why he was blowing up on the two. He just needed to take a break and get his emotions back in check. He didn't want to blow up on them, it was just all kind of coming out without his usual filter. "Anyways, I'm gonna go take a nice walk alone, ok?" He exclaimed, standing up and walking off before anyone could object.

It's not like anyone attempted to follow him.

He walked through the trees, stumbling slightly over twigs and leaves. Kokichi stopped after a few minutes of mindless wandering in a straight path, looking down at his shoes with a sour expression. "Damnit." He muttered, rubbing his eyes with his fisted hands. Why did he let his emotions get the best of him? He was being too rude, and honest... They were only worried about him.

Why? Why were they worried for him? No one else was... Perhaps it's just in their nature. As Maki said, Kaito doesn't need the guilt of murder. But no one else seemed to care... why would they? Probably easier for them if he died-

"Nyeh, there you are. I followed your footprints," A voice resonated from behind him. He quickly spun around, grinning widely.

"Ah, Himiko! My dear Himiko, what brings you here?" Kokichi asked, resting his hands idly behind his head with a lazy smile.

"Nyeh... Ouma are you ok?"

"Duh, that's a dumb question. Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, his hands falling weakly to his sides.

"Because you're crying..." Kokichi reached a hand up to his eyes, feeling the damp streaks on his cheeks.

"Ah, probably a result of almost drowning! I probably have too much water in my system and my body is forcing it out through crying." He claimed, wiping the tears away with a huff of annoyance.

"Nyeh, I'm not that dumb. Ouma, if something's wrong you can tell me. Like I said in McDonald's, it's ok to talk about stuff."

"I-... I know! Nishishi, everything's fine Himiko!" He turned away from her and sat on a fallen log. She walked over after a moment of hesitation and joined him. "I... It's nothing." He felt Himiko's eyes on him.

"You can tell me, I'm very good at keeping secrets," Himiko assured, smiling gently when Kokichi peeked over. He turned back towards the sky. Himiko watched the male as he smiled up at the sky, and for a moment, she saw the boy for the first time without any masks.

Just a sad, distant smile.

"Nah, It's really nothing. I sometimes just find it hard to lie." He said with a sheepish grin.

"Nyeh? Then why lie?"

"Because it's harder to tell the truth."

"I don't get it," Himiko muttered looking down at her legs with a frown. Kokichi peeked over at her with a curious look and sighed.

"Sometimes, people don't want to hear certain things! So you tell a little white lie to please them. Well sometimes that little white lie builds into a bigger lie, and then you're only left with two options. Lie more or hurt the person with the truth. You'd chose to lie, right?" Himiko nodded slowly as if she was starting to understand. "That's kinda what I do. It's more of an automatic response though."

"I get it... but you don't need to lie anymore! Why not tell the truth?"

"Because, who would believe a liar? Besides, you guys already hate me, why would I want it any other way?" Kokichi picked himself up off the log, offering Himiko a hand. "Like I said, it's not a big deal, let's head back before a snake or bear comes."

"Nyeh?! Snakes? I don't wanna walk if there are snakes around! They don't have arms!" Himiko exclaimed, quickly lifting her feet up. Kokichi rolled his eyes and squatted in front of her. "N-nyeh?"

"Hop on, I'll carry you back if you don't wanna walk." He hummed, a few seconds passed before he felt her wrap her arms around his neck and hop on his back.

"... Thanks, Kokichi." He smiled to himself as he walked back to camp. It had barely been 3 minutes when he arrived, but Himiko was snoring loudly on his back. It only took longer because she was almost his weight.

"Wah! A degenerate holding an innocent flower. Unhand Himiko this instan-."

"Shhh!" He hissed, shutting Tenko up for a second, loud enough to hear her snores. "Now take her before I drop her." He whispered, rolling his eyes at the sharp gasp from Tenko before she gently took her from his back. He huffed and walked over to where Shuichi and Kaito sat.

"Kokichi-"

"Shut it. Listen, sorry I was rude earlier! That was like... toootally not cool. Uh... A-anyways, I just wanted to say sorry. I blew up on you two for no reason and it was super not cool. You guys were just worried and-"

Kokichi was cut off by a tight hug. He peeked up, slightly worried but relaxed and eventually hugged back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have thrown you in. I could've killed you and-"

"Kaito, I swear to God if you apologize one more time I'm gonna drown you."

"Haha. Alright, I get it. I'm happy you're ok."

Kokichi smiled lightly and sighed, feeling his face heat up slightly. "Yeah yeah. When does the meteor shower start?"

"Soon actually," Kaito stated, pulling back from the hug and looking up at the sky. "Hajime told us it'd be starting in 30 minutes about 5 minutes ago. Mikan also came by and started panicking because you went missing."

"Ah-"

"Th-there you are! You need t-to stay seated! We don't know how stable you are right now." Mikan exclaimed, rushing over to his side and examining him.

"Nishishi! I did walk three minutes away and carry someone about my weight back. I'd say I'm pretty stable."

"We can't be too sure! I'd take it easy for tonight, stay seated."

"It's cool, doc! We got him!" Kaito assured. Shuichi gave an affirmative nod behind him. She sighed and nodded, sitting him down on the blanket beside Shuichi before walking off.

"Ah, that's a little early." Shuichi pointed out, looking up at the sky as a bolt of light traveled overhead. Kaito squealed and laid next to the two, staring up at the sky with a grin. Kokichi sighed and laid back, Shuichi following after as the meteors began to pick up.

Kokichi wasn't too sure what Kaito was so excited for, sure it was pretty, but it got boring after a while. But he held his tongue each time he looked over at Kaito. The male was smiling too much for Kokichi to want to ruin his time. So instead of complaining about how this was boring after a while, he just closed his eyes and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAA ILY ALL <3 You're all so nice and understanding and ily oomg!! 
> 
> I did not win the talent show, which is sad, but it was a nice experience!! :)) 
> 
> I've been trying to plan out this chapter, so we'll see how it went.
> 
> Im sorry for the wait and ily all tysm for understanding illly!! sm!
> 
> Ok bye!


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to go back to the house.

Kokichi sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

Or at least attempted to. It hadn't made it that far before he ran into knots and tangles. He huffed in annoyance, opting to momentarily tie his hair back into a ponytail. It would suffice until he could return back and shower. He turned back towards the group who were busy occupying themselves with packing their equipment into the vans. He couldn't bother to do the same, that just sounds too boring.

Boring...

"Huh, you're... not boring." He recalled the words he had said to Kaito before he had begun their plan of Kokichi's death. He took another look at Kaito, attempting to reevaluate him as he had gotten to know him more. Yet his stance still stood, he wasn't boring. It came as a surprise to Kokichi, he had made friends with such a lively group of eccentric people and they always had something new planned. Once he was placed in the killing game and away from his team of weirdos, he just found everyone else boring. Everything was bland. Even Kaito, at first at least.

Yet, now as he watched him, as he knew him, he's learned that the male is far from boring. In fact, Kokichi was rather intrigued by the male. He was strange, impulsive, but kind. He refused to give up, and despite knowing all of this about the male, Kokichi still couldn't read him.

Kokichi's eyes trailed over to Shuichi. He's always had a strange interest with Shuichi. The boy was extremely intelligent and observative, yet in a way, he was so... oblivious. Shuichi never knew how to react in simple situations and always over thought everything. Yet he always managed to surprise Kokichi with his observations and intelligence, and even more so when the boy made jokes. Kokichi was always mildly confused at Shuichi's lack of reaction to his teasing and name calling of him being his "beloved". Kokichi played it off as a case that he had grown used to the name. Or perhaps Shuichi was just that oblivious to notice.

No one else had interested Kokici much, besides Angie of course, but he came to terms that he'd never understand her. Kokichi had to admit to himself that, yes, his classmates were interesting, but none of them had interested him as much as Kaito and Shuichi had. No, not even close. He was snapped out of his spacing out by a hand waving in front of his face.

"Hi hi! Kokichi, hello?" Kokichi blinked and looked at Angie, confusion painting his face. "Oh good! You're alive!" Angie cheered, clapping her hands.

"Whatcha want?" He asked, not in a harsh tone. More of a curious one.

"Atua told me that Hajime wants to meet up before departure." She chirped, gesturing behind her where people had begun to gather. He nodded, strolling over with the girl trailing behind him. He peeked to his left, spotting a blushing Tenko walking over to the group in one of her new outfits. Himiko was trailing behind with a lazy smile. "Atua says Himiko complemented Tenko's outfit." Angie quipped from behind him, seemingly noticing his interest in the two. Kokichi nodded, Tenko catching his gaze as he smiled knowingly at her. She huffed but replied with a small thumbs up, Kokichi could've sworn she smiled at him for a split second.

"Alright, Kiyoko has requested to switch up who goes in what van," Hajime commented, eyes lingering on Kokichi. "And sadly I cannot blame her, Ouma's van is now going with me. My van is going with Kiyoko. We are leaving Gonta with her and Momota's with me. Naegi had to go, so I'm taking Momota, and the rest of Naegi's group is going with Mikan." He said, before clapping his hands. "Split."

"Ah, she wanted to get rid of me!" Kokichi cried as he walked with his group and climbed into the van. With the current arrangement, Nagito and Hajime were in the front seats, in the middle row was Shuichi, him, then Kaito. Finally, the back row consisted of Kiibo, Angie, and Miu. The first thirty minutes of the trip back was slow, Kokichi almost dozing off. That was until he received a tap on his shoulder. He spun around, finding Angie with a hairbrush. He sighed in defeat and understanding and shrugged, nodding reluctantly.

He took down his hair and positioned himself in a comfortable position. The brush had gone through surprisingly gently and with ease, and he leaned into the touch. After his hair had been gently brushed through, Angie's fingers remained, fiddling with strands. He closed his eyes at the feeling sighing in content as he slowly fell asleep.

He awoke to find the pleasant feeling still in his hair, yet he was now in a lying position. He peeked an eye open to find his head on Momota's lap and Momota's hand in his hair with said male looking out the window. He looked down at the weight on his feet, only to find Shuichi hunched over asleep. He huffed, no way of getting up easily. His attention was quickly directed towards Hajime, who had suddenly received a phone call. Nagito picked it up, only to pass it to Hajime.

"Hello?... Mhm..."

What a boring conversation.

"What the fuck?"

Or not.

"Who said you could- they're my responsibility too! I should have a say- we don't have enough room! Yeah yeah, ok. Yeah, it's a little too late now. Ok, see you when we get back." He huffed, ending the call as he kept his eyes locked on the road. Consider Kokichi's curiosity peaked, but he had a feeling he'd find out soon enough.

Kokichi looked back at his feet, finding Shuichi staring directly at him, making him jump as they locked eyes. This alerted Kaito that he was awake and the boy got strange stares from both men. Kokichi just sat up, shrugging off the two stares.

"Would you rather be free, or totally safe?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"Freedom!" Kaito said immediately, grinning at the male. "What's the point of living if not living free?" Kokichi looked at him and smirked, nodding in agreement.

"Who would you switch ultimates with out of all of us if you could?" Miu asked from behind him, he hummed.

"Astronomy is boring-"

"Hey!" Kaito called out, but Kokichi ignored him.

"Hey, Hajime!"

"What Kokichi-"

"What's your ultimate?"

"Oh. It's complicated, but- uh, Ultimate everything?" He answered with uncertainty.

"Everything? Does that mean you're also an Ultimate Detective?" Shuichi asked, receiving a nod.

"Ultimate Astrologist?"

"Yep."

"Ultimate Robot?"

"Uh, possibly?"

"His personality is like one." Nagito added with a smile, getting a glare from Hajime, "Ah, not yours, Izuru's."

Despite Kokichi's curiosity on the topic, he had to ask.

"Ultimate Dick sucker?" Kokichi asked almost the same time Miu asked,

"Ultimate BDSM Specialist?" Kokichi spun around and high fived the girl.

Hajime sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I swear to God I will crash this car-" He muttered, and Kokichi wasn't entirely sure he was joking, so he shut up and sat back down.

"Ultimate Artist or Inventor, hell even the Ultimate Detective sounds fun." He added after a few minutes of silence. There was another beat of silence before Shuichi contributed his opinion.

"I think the Ultimate Nurse or Ultimate Photographer sounds cool." He hummed, getting stares from the group.

"I can see you as a nurse. I think being the Ultimate Anthropologist sounds cool enough. Maybe even the Ultimate Team Manager."

Kokichi was a little scared of how much the Ultimate Team Manager fit Kaito.

"I'd be the Ultimate Princess or Musician!" Angie called from behind, also gaining strange stares.

"Ultimate Princess?" Shuichi asked, but Kokichi already knew why.

"Atua's will!"

"Ah," Shuichi muttered, laughing forcefully. Kokichi just grinned at her.

"What about you Kiiboy?"

"I-I think that I like who I am," Kiibo said, looking down at his hands and back up with a smile. "But- If I had to choose, ultimate inventor."

Kokichi nodded, looking over to Miu. He was happy Kiibo was learning to accept himself, but he would never admit it.

"How about you Miu?" He asked. The girl seemed put off that he hadn't called her a name of any sorts.

"I'd be the Ultimate Mechanic or the Ultimate Robot! Think of how much fuckin' upgrades I could do on myself." Kokichi nodded in understanding.

As the car ride progressed, the group continued with the odd questions, Kokichi learning more about his classmates than he thought he would.

After a couple hours, the vans had finally driven up to the driveway. Kokichi watched with curiosity as a pair of people, which he identified as Byakuya, Makoto, and Aoi, stood in the driveway. Hajime pulled into park right as Makoto walked back into the house.

"Ok, before exiting, we have some news. This was done without my consent, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind. Anyways-"

Before Hajime could finish what he was saying, Kokichi had sprung out of his seat and out of the car.

"Kokichi!" Hajime called after him, but it was too late, as he had already sprinted halfway across the yard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long!!
> 
> But Grease is over and I had a random want to write, so i did.
> 
> Im also back into my marvel phase, more specifically spiderman, and really wanna write fanfic for that, but who knows uwu.
> 
> aaaa thank you all for waiting and I love uu!!


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nice reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I,,m
> 
> sorry,,, 
> 
> Everything is explained in the end note

"Kichi? Kichi!" He heard a voice cheer as he made it across the yard. Before he could fully arrive at a stop, he was engulfed in a hug. One large hug. He laughed happily and hugged the closest person back.

"Hey, guys." He chirped at the group surrounding him. Not just a group, his group, his family. He looked around, through the gaps of their bodies, spotting strangers he had never recognized before. He assumed they were his classmate's family members by how his classmates interacted with them. He didn't fully care about them at the moment and directed his attention back to his family.

"Ok, ok, I do need to breathe." He recognized the voice as Mayumi's. Like most groups and organizations, D.I.C.E had rules. A well-known rule amongst his team was to not upset each other, especially Mayumi. She never usually wanted much, so it was an easy rule to comply with. The team, subsequently, pulled apart.

"Sorry, Yumi." Another voice chirped, he spun his head to face the figure the voice had resonated from. Relief spread through him at her smile, and he engulfed her in a hug. At least he knew Eimi was safe. "Haha! Missed ya too, Kichi. But you don't initiate the hug too often, ya ok?" She asked, hugging back without a moment of hesitation.

"Yeah. What about you all? You're ok, right?" He asked, pulling away and surveying the group.

"All good!" Eimi called, giving him a bright thumbs up. Kokichi could see that she was slightly more tired and skinnier than the last time he had seen her. Not by much, but her clothes hung looser on her. They did on all of them. It was most obvious with Daiki, as the large male had obviously lost weight. Daiki seemed to notice his staring and looked away nervously.

"Stealing was harder without you," was all Daiki could rasp out for an explanation. He chose not to talk a lot, especially not with crowds around. By the looks of it, someone from everyone's family was here. He spotted what he assumed to be Shuichi's uncle patting him on the head with a proud grin. Kaito's grandparents were here too. The two bags of wrinkles just smiled lovingly as he droned on happily.

"...ichi-" He spun to look at Fuyumi who just stared at him with a smirk. "Whatcha looking at? You got a crush?" She asked in a teasing manner. Kokichi blinked, staring at her with a look of shock.

"Huh- no. Anyways what were you saying?" He asked in an attempt to avoid acknowledging the heat pooling in his cheeks. He's just embarrassed he got caught staring anyways. That was it.

"Oh, just that Itsu and I made up some more designs and stuff for D.I.C.E uniforms." She said as pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Oh? Like what?" Kokichi asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Nothing too important. Just accessories and some different fabric choices for comfort." Itsuki said as he leaned against Fuyumi's shoulder. "Except, it was supposed to be a surprise." He stated with annoyance seeping through his voice. Kokichi just rolled his eyes and spun around with an amused smile.

"I'm sure it will be amazing. How about you, Haru? How're you? What's new?" He asked, watching the boy pause for a moment in thought.

"Eimi is skipping literally every English lesson possible." He commented with a small smirk.

"H-Hey! That's not true!"

"Eimi! What do I always say?" Kokichi asked, looking at her with a small glare.

"If we ever go to England or America, whether it be because of a war, disaster, or meeting the leaders of the land, we need to know English... but-."

"No buts! Attend your lessons."

"Fine!"

"And Haru, don't tattle on your sister. Anyways. Yuuto- don't you dare!" He hissed as he spotted said male a distance off with Sora sitting at the halfway point of the distance.

"Now this may look bad, but we've been practicing! Ready Sora?"

"Don't you dare!"

"Go!" Sora said as Yuuto took off towards the male who squatted with his arms held like a cradle. Once Yuuto reached Sora, he hopped off the male's arms, earning an extra boost as Sora lifted him higher. Yuuto flipped in the air, almost kicking Sora who quickly ducked. He landed on his feet, freezing with a worried expression which slowly melted away. It was replaced first by shock, then excitement. "Oh my god, it actually worked," Sora said as he rose, dusting off his arms.

"Wow! That's never actually succeeded before!" Yuuto laughed, high fiving Sora. Kokich stomped over and whacked the two on their head.

"That was stupid Yuuto! And Sora! I thought you knew better than to go along with him." He hissed, rolling his eyes at the sheepish grins he received. "That was cool though." He added after a moment as he began to walk back. Only two people left to check on. He heard the sound of a high five behind him.

"Joji!" The male looked up with a small fake smile, the lie meeting Kokichi's eyes. "Come on! Cheer up! If I knew I was coming back to a bunch of frowns, I wouldn't have come." He said with a grin, hearing a small chuckle. "Ah, come on! Please cheer up!"

"Alright, Kichi-" Joji started with a small smile, only to be cut off.

"No." He heard Mayumi say from behind him. The group went quiet and Kokichi spun around to face the only masked group member. She didn't like taking off her mask, it made her feel more secure. But it prevented Kokichi from reading her.

"N-No? No what?"

"How can we cheer up? You just leave one day, and we don't hear of you for months. I- we thought it happened again." Kokichi felt his stomach drop. No one talked about it- it was unmentioned common knowledge though. He can see how they assumed it happened to him.

"I-I didn't want to leave! Mayumi-"

"I-I'm not done." Kokichi shut his mouth, nodding. Her voice had cracked, "We were left to fend for ourselves alone. Itsuki had to take over and- it took such a toll on him! We didn't get enough food sometimes, and he'd blame himself! And Eimi and Joji no longer joked around. Yuuto did more reckless things like an idiot! Hau only focused on studying, taking no time for fun and barely any time for basic human necessities. Sora barely talked- this is the first time I've heard Daiki talk in so long! Fuyumi stopped eating sometimes again, making sure Itsuki ate instead because they both rather starve themselves than us! A-And I... I was so alone-" She sobbed, her hands reaching up behind her mask to wipe what he assumed to be tears.

Kokichi engulfed her in a hug, holding her closer as she cried into his shoulder. He felt his heart sink as he held her, rocking back and forth. He heard another sob, but from another source. He peeked over his shoulder, frowning as he saw each of his family members with a few tears running down their face. "Come on guys." He murmured as the group joined him in a hug. He noticed the chatter had quieted and felt eyes from his classmates and their families on them but he couldn't care.

This was an issue he wasn't sure how to fix.

"Hey... it's ok. No it isn't. But it will be." He hummed as a few broke away and wiped their tears away. "I swear, I'm never going to leave you guys for that long ever again. And I wanna get back to stealing with you guys as soon as possible, but first we gotta cheer up. I need my old happy family back, okay? You guys are kinda my support." He murmured.

It took a while, but the group eventually calmed down. Mayumi had put back on her mask securely, sighing quietly. "S-so! Kokichi! What were you doing while you were gone?" Eimi asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Oh yeah, aren't you guys hungry? How long do you get to stay here for?" He asked quickly, shifting on his feet.

"Oh uh yeah! We're only here for a day, but we'll take what time we can get." Sora answered, nodding.

"Hm, I wish it were longer. Ok, let's go raid the pantry, then I can show you all around!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter!
> 
> Ok, lemme try to explain myself.
> 
> I really wasn't planning on going on a hiatus,, at all. Infact I had begun this chapter last week or so.
> 
> But! the week before last week was exam week, i was v busy and also lazy ngl. Also I knew this chapter was gonna b a lil boring so I was a little dreading writing it even though I had it planned out. 
> 
> Last week was my spring break! I went to London and saw 4 musicals and 1 play. Phantom, Les Mis, Wicked, Hamilton, and HP: and the cursed child. It was fun, but I was super busy that week.
> 
> This week we have a testing thing called CCRS, and also I had kinda lost alot of motivation I had for writing this chapter. At some points I just considered deleting everything, but no worries bc im never gonna do that bc thats awful. I am still probably gonna delete my art account on insta and remake it bc i want to post more on ocs and stuff and I know most of my followers are there for danganronpa.
> 
> But honestly I didn't want to write this chapter. As you can probably tell it's boring, but in order to get to interesting things, I have to get through boring things. Anyways, that April Fools chapter was an April Fools and I love you all. Anyone reading this has stuck around, and I appreciate it so much! Thank you to those who commented during my break bc it helped motivate me to write, and I wanted to get something out on Easter. I'm sorry for leaving, and if I ever do it again, feel free to spam my comments. I love you guys!  
> -Nega


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kokichi and his team bond and catch up.

Kokichi sat criss-cross on the table, biting into an apple as he watched his family scarf down the last of the leftovers. He stared at the table, zone out, yet not thinking of anything in particular. He was pulled out of his thoughts by a hand waved in front of him, faintly catching a small "I didn't miss this."

"'Kichi, you zoned out again." Eimi chirped, pushing her plate over to Haru who groaned in complaint.

"Sorry, Eimi. What'd ya say?" He asked, grabbing the empty bowls which had been placed in front of Haru by every other member and carrying them to a sink.

"So uh, why were you gone so long? And aren't you gonna introduce us to any of your... friends that we saw out there?" Eimi asked, tapping her fingers on the table in a simple pattern.

"Hm? Oh, those lameos? Fine. The next person to walk through the door, I'll introduce. They're all boring though. Well most of them-"

Miu walked through the door, cackling loudly with a flustered Kiibo by her side. Kokichi just stared in annoyance, waiting for her laughter to die down. After a few moments, she ceased in her laughter and looked around the room. "What the fuck? Ya having a fucking orgy or something Cockichi? Why are you all so silent like a fuckin' funeral has gone on?"

Kokichi just rolled his eyes. "Nevermind, not this slut, the next person. Ignore the robot, he doesn't count as a person-"

"Hey! That's robophobic!" Kiibo cried out in distress.

He could tell from the mood that Miu had not made a good impression on his team. He couldn't blame them for their dislike. Her and Kiibo talked away from the ten, but he couldn't bother to listen. In fact, he only lifted his head up from where he fiddled with his sleeve when he heard the door open. "Oh! Kokichi!" He heard a happy voice cheer.

"Maybe the next person? Ya know there aren't many good people to introduce you to. I wish Mom or Gonta can come in." He muttered.

"Hey! Why am I not good enough for... whatever you need Kirumi or Gonta for?"

"Fine! Guys, this is... what's your name again?"

"Wha- Hey! Damn it Kokichi. Hi, nice to meet ya! I'm Kaito Momota, the ultimate astronaut."

"Oh! I think I get where you were! So you were just... having pre-school training. And everyone here is your classmates?" Sora exclaimed, getting a nod from Yuuta who sat beside him.

"Mhm! That's why I was gone for so long." Kokichi lied, getting an odd look from Kaito and a laugh from Miu.

"Wow, Kokichi. I can't believe you'd l-"

She was interrupted by the door opening.   
  
"Oh, Kaito! Kokichi! Oh- and uh... more." Shuichi exclaimed, looking around the room with a nervous expression.

"Oh! You work! Everyone, meet my beloved, Shuichi. Shuichi meet-" Kokichi took a deep breath before pointing out each member. "Eimi, Haru, Joji, Itsuki, Mayumi, Fuyumi, Sora, Yuuta, Daiki, and me, their leader. Now repeat it in that exact order. Now! Don't! Think!" Kokichi shouted, making Shuichi jump nervously.

"Ok, Eimi, Haru, Joji, Itsuki, Mayumi, Fuyumi, Sora, Yuuta, Daiki, and you, Kokichi."

"Wow, you're goood!"

"What's your ultimate?" Haru asked, looking at him with bored eyes, but Kokichi didn't miss the spark of curiosity.

"Oh.. I'm the ultimate detective- but I'm not that good." He stated while scratching his neck.

"What do you mean? You solved all of the mysteries in the-" Kokichi cleared his throat loudly. "The games we played." Shuichi seemed to catch on quickly and shrugged, muttering that it was different.

"So... sorry ahead of time Kokichi, but rule 7!" He was quickly reprehended by three different people, with two hands covering his mouth. "No secrets. So, which one of you four want to tell us what actually happened in those months?" Yuuta asked, eyes scanning the room as he easily held Kokichi back with the four others. "How about... astronaut?"

"Sorry man. Kokichi doesn't want it stated. I can't go against his wishes."

"Detective?" Shuichi shook his head 'no', not hesitant with his answer.

"Your boss has a hard time building trust, and I don't want to ruin any ounce of trust I may have with him." He explained with a small smile.

"Uh... Slut? Or Miu?" He asked, looking at her with a cautious glance.

"Hey Miu, don't tell. If Kokichi wants them to know, he'd tell." Kaito stated, exhaling loudly.

"Fine! But short dick owes me later."

"Robot?"

"That's robophobic! I have a name you know-"

The door opened, and Maki walked open, only eyeing the scene for a second before beginning to retreat.

"Wait! Angry lady. Can you inform us of what happened in the months you all were absent?"

"A killing game," Maki answered almost immediately. She looked back at the group, watching Kokichi tense up. "Your boss was one of the least liked, but still managed to last a while. He interfered with the game and even cheered at the idea of the killing game. All of his antics caused others distress and he thought of no one but himself. He died eventually, murdered. That's all you need to know from me, he can explain the rest."

The room stood silent in shock as she closed the door and walked away without another word. "What? Hey... Kichi. What's a killing game?" Eimi asked wearily.

"What it says. A game about murder. Dumb ass." Haru muttered, staring at his hands. Yuuta, Sora, and Joji's grip on Kokichi loosened to nothing.

"So... I- I don't understand. How are you still here if she said you died. And uh- what?"

Kokichi sighed and began to explain, the other four in the room cutting in for details he couldn't find the words to explain. The group just sat there silently.

"Any questions?" Kokichi asked with a clap, staring at their blank faces. "Look! Everything is fine now! I'm ok!"

"Is that why some people are utter dicks to you?" Fuyumi asked, glancing over at Miu momentarily. "Because you played some tricks which I'm almost positive you had good intentions for? In a fake game? And that they can't let go of a grudge against you for?" She asked, her voice dripping with annoyance and anger.

"No, some of them their personality just conveys them as dicks. For example, Miu was a big help at times, and even played parts in ending the killing game. She's kinda obnoxious to everyone, even before the game started. It's just who she is. And Kiibo, well he really isn't that mean. He's just fun to pick on. Kaito has a little bit of a trigger fist, but his morals are right. And Shuichi is too much of a wimp to really be mean." Kokichi explained. "Oh, but Maki, the girl with the angry face, yeah she hates me."

"Lots of people do." Joji chirped, earning a few small chuckles. "Kokichi, we all know you had good intentions for everything-er- almost everything you did. If people are too dumb and ignorant to see that, or at least move on- ignore them. Don't let them get to you like they use to- ok?" Joji asked with a smile. Kokichi merely smiled back and nodded.

"Wow, I've barely ever seen that shrimp smile like that." Miu murmured, earning a strange look from everyone but Kiibo.

"That's his normal... smile?" Shuichi pointed out.

"What? No, it isn't, it's usually that shit eating smile!" Miu accused, getting a nod from Kiibo.

"I've barely seen that smile since the game." Kaito murmured.

Miu just looked between them and sighed, exasperated. "Fuck this, I'm out. Kiibo, come on." She murmured as she pulled the robot out with her.

"So where are your grandparents, and your uncle?" Kokichi asked between the two.

"Had to go back to his job."

"Grandpa thinks he left the water running. They promised they'd mail." He explained with a grin. "So we'll just stick with you 10," Kaito claimed, inserting himself into the group and pulling Shuichi with him.

"I guess this is an ok time to do this. Come on, I'm gonna show you guys my hideout. I guess I trust you, two idiots, enough to come too. Follow me." He stated as the 12 began off towards his painted entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't proof read, so if there's a mistake please tell me uwu!!
> 
> SORRY ITS BEEN SO LONG NGL IM LAZY AAA I RANDOMLY GOT MOTIVATION THEN LOST IT IM AWFUL NGL OMG SORRY
> 
> Hi anyways hope you like the chapter, Id write more but i wanna sleep uwu gn  
> !!!


End file.
